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Certolizumab

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Certolizumab, Cimzia, Certolizumab Pegol

  • See Also
  1. Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor
  2. Monoclonal Antibody
  3. Golimumab
  4. Etanercept
  5. Adalimumab
  6. Infliximab
  • Indications
  1. Crohns Disease
  2. Psoriatic Arthritis
  3. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  4. Plaque Psoriasis
  5. Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Contraindications
  1. See Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor
  • Dosing
  1. See Monoclonal Antibody for preparation for use
  2. Dosing
    1. Start: 400 mg SQ every other week at weeks 0, 2 and 4
    2. Next: 400 mg SQ every 4 weeks
  3. Background
    1. Injection sites include thigh and Abdomen (rotate injection sites)
      1. Divide 400 mg dose into 2 separate injection sites
    2. Available as a Preloaded syringe
    3. Refrigerate and protect from light
    4. Allow to warm to room Temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before injection (decreased pain)
  • Mechanism
  1. Monoclonal Antibody against human Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha
  • Precautions
  1. See TNF Inhibitor
  2. TNF Inhibitors predispose to serious infections and malignancy
  3. Prepare for TNF Inhibitor use with infection screening (e.g. Tuberculosis) and Immunizations
    1. See Monoclonal Antibody
  • Adverse Effects
  1. See Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor
  2. Mild to moderate Injection site reactions (<10% of patients)
  • Safety
  1. Considered safe in Lactation
  2. Pregnancy
    1. May use in pregnancy (any trimester) if indicated and benefit outweighs risk
    2. Fetal exposure risk does NOT appear to increase after 20 weeks (unlike other TNF Inhibitors)
  • Resources
  1. Certolizumab Injection Kit (DailyMed)
    1. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=b4c2c9dc-a0bb-4d64-a667-a67ebe88392d
  • References
  1. Hamilton (2020) Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia
  2. (2023) Biologics for Crohn's Disease, Presc Lett, #390826
  3. (2023) Drugs for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Med Lett Drug Ther 65: 105-12