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September 2024
In 2023 the FDA approved ritlecitinib (LITFULO), an oral drug that suppresses the immune system, for the treatment of severe alopecia areata in adults and adolescents age 12 years and older. Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has designated this drug as Do Not Use because the possible limited benefits do not outweigh the serious harms.
August 2024
The tumor necrosis factor blocker adalimumab (HUMIRA and biosimilars) is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and various autoimmune diseases. It is one of the best-selling drugs in the United States. Learn about the efficacy of adalimumab, its serious adverse effects and why Public Citizen’s Health Research Group has classified this biologic drug as Limited Use.
February 2023
A recently published study confirmed that tofacitinib (XELJANZ, XELJANZ ER) increases the risk of severe and other infections compared to treatment with the tumor necrosis factor blocker drugs that demonstrate similar effectiveness for treating rheumatoid arthritis.
January 2022
Learn why the FDA has limited the approved uses and strengthened the product labeling warnings for the oral drug tofacitinib (XELJANZ, XELJANZ XR), which is approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and certain other inflammatory diseases.
July 2021
In this article, we discuss an important new warning issued by the FDA about preliminary results from a safety clinical trial that showed increased risks of serious heart-related adverse effects and cancer in rheumatoid arthritis patients taking the oral drug tofacitinib.
June 2019
In this article, we discuss preliminary data from an ongoing clinical trial that prompted the FDA to issue a new warning about potentially fatal blood clots caused by tofacitinib, an oral drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
December 2018
Baricitinib is the most recent drug approved by the FDA for treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Read our assessment of this dangerous drug.
March 2015
Pharmaceutical companies market patient assistance programs as a goodwill solution to assist patients who are struggling to pay for expensive prescription drugs. Find out why these programs may encourage physicians to prescribe more expensive drugs instead of less expensive, equally effective alternatives, including generic products.
June 2011
This article lists 355 drugs with names that are often confused with similar-sounding drug names. Find out what you can do to prevent getting the wrong drug.
June 2008
Etanercept, an effective disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), now joins adalimubab (HUMIRA) and inflixamib (REMICADE) to be the third of the arthritis disease-modifying drugs (see discussion on the following page about disease-modifying drugs) to receive a black box warning concerning infections, calling for TB testing and, if positive, TB treatment before starting these drugs. For some people, the potential benefit of etanercept outweighs the risk of infections, including the very small risk of TB infection. The article also discusses a fourth DMARD and the precautions we advise for its use.
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