Remicade & Crohn's disease

Talking about restoring life quality of patients with severe Crohn's disease, doctors definitely mention Remicade. It is a drug that gives patients greater hope for a healthy active life and helps doctors in peculiar treatment. Infliximab is considered the "gold standard" most new biologics are currently compared to.
 
Infliximab is used for patients with moderate and severe conditions, fistulous Crohn's disease, as well as those not responding to conventional therapy.
 
Remicade (Infliximab) represents a monoclonal antibody against TNFα. It is used to treat autoimmune diseases. The drug is sold in the U.S. by Centocor; in Japan by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma; in China by Xian Janssen, and other countries by Schering-Plough. In 1998, Centocor was acquired by Johnson & Johnson, after initial FDA approval (for Crohn's disease).
 
Food and Drug Administration approved Remicade as a means for treatment of psoriasis, Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.
 
Remicade works by binding to TNF alpha (TNFα). TNF alpha is a chemical messenger (cytokine) and a key part of autoimmune reaction. Initially, Infliximab was assumed to work by blocking the action of TNFα. It is done through preventing its binding to a cell receptor. This still seems to be true.
 
The drug is successfully applied both in acute conditions and remission. Remicade is administered as an intravenous infusion. Side effects are rare: they include fever, joint or muscle pain and nausea. Concerning the speed of reversal, Infliximab is faster than prednisolone. Some patients feel relieved within 24 hours after administration. The drug fights abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding from back passage and discomfort caused by sinus tract secretion. There occurs restoration of physical activity and appetite. For the first time, some patients even quit taking steroids. Others are relieved of surgery. Upon the onset of remission, Remicade should be long time administered by intravenous infusion, as a maintenance therapy. Infliximab is able to both quickly arrest the disease symptoms and heal ulceration of the mucous. This fact makes the drug unique and different from traditional medicines.
 
Before infusion of Remicade, patients are often prescribed premedication: drugs that prevent development of allergic reactions. The drug is injected directly into a vein, by drop infusion. It takes about 1-2 hours.