ADALIMUMAB (HUMIRA) IN IBD

Humira has had great success in treating patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Humira has also proven successful in treating children over 6 years of age with moderate to severe Crohn's disease.

How does Humira work?

The chemical or biological name for Humira is Adalimumab, which is a scientific way of saying that this medicine is an antibody that is intended to attack the overactive immune system that is causing the inflammation in IBD. It does this by targeting TNF (tumor necrosis factor) that starts much of disease process and the swelling, pain and bowel symptoms that come as a result.

When is Humira used and how?

Humira is usually started when patients don't respond to one of the other drugs for Crohn's or ulcerative colitis.

Patients are usually required to have a blood test or skin test for TB beforehand and they should make sure their vaccines (immunizations) are up to date. That's because any of the anti-TNFs, including Humira, can:

• Make TB (tuberculosis) worse if you already have it
• Make hepatitis B active, if you carry the virus
• Prevent you from getting any live virus vaccines 
• Allow you to get an active virus infection from the vaccine if you are given the vaccine while you are on the medicine.

Because anti-TNF medicines, like Humira, should not be used when a patient has certain conditions, you should also let your doctor know if you have or have had any illnesses or medical conditions. You should list all the medicines you take or have taken recently. Some could be similar to Humira (Embrel and other medicines for arthritis) or interact with Humira to make getting an infection more likely (methotrexate, for example).

How is Humira Given?

Humira is a shot (injection) given into the tissues under the skin. This can be given like a traditional shot using a pre-filled syringe.  This is given while pinching the skin up after cleaning the area with alcohol. Many prefer using what is called an auto-injector where a tube containing the medicines is placed on the cleaned skin. A button is then pushed, with a hidden needle coming out and quickly delivering the medicine under the skin.