Cimzia (certolizumab pegol): Hope for people living with Crohn’s disease
October 22, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) is a medication that has been studied for treatment of symptoms of moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease (8 Help My Hurt posts on IBD/IBS/Crohn’s disease). Results of studies were discussed at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.
The medication is from a class of medications called anti-TNF alpha (Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha), which has already proven helpful for people living with chronic pain caused by Crohn’s. However, what researchers have found is that not only is Cimzia effective for people who failed a more common treatment with infliximab, it can be less costly than the other similar medications on the market.
The researchers found that among patients who didn’t respond to infliximab, 39% did respond to Cimzia within 6 weeks of beginning treatment. Importantly, the researchers also found that there were no difference in effectiveness depending on if Cimzia was given alone or with other medications and the patients who responded did so regardless of why the didn’t respond to infliximab.
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Tags: cimzia, certolizumab, crohn’s disease, IBS, infliximab, anti TNF factor, tumor necrosis factor alpha
