Is there any reason why a CMT patient should not take Humira for rheumatoid arthritis?
Adalimumab (Humira) is a recombinant human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that blocks the action of human tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is thought to be a factor in the joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. This is an emerging and exciting new class of drugs used to treat several autoimmune diseases. Others in this class of drugs, termed TNF-alpha blockers, but not this particular agent, very rarely have been associated with triggering other autoimmune disorders, including in a handful of instances, demyelinating neuropathy. Patients with these other but similar treatments (3 in total at this point) have developed otherwise typical chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy (CIDP), an acquired disease that affects many of the same nerve fiber types as CMT. There is no information about a positive or negative reaction from a patient with CMT on any of these treatments.
