What is Cimzia & what are the side effects associated with it?
Cimzia (certolizumab pegol), manufactured by UCB Global Pharma is a TNF alpha blocker used to suppress the immune system and is prescribed for patients with Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. It was approved by the FDA in 2008 to treat Crohn’s disease and approval for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis was given in 2009. The manufacturer provides the following warning: CIMZIA is a medicine that affects your immune system. CIMZIA can lower the ability of the immune system to fight infections. Serious infections have happened in patients taking CIMZIA, including tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body. Some patients have died from these infections. (Source: www.cimzia.com) However, the FDA has stated that the warning may not be strong enough. It points to a reported case of histoplasmosis in a patient taking Cimzia and says it has received reports of cases of coccidioidomycosis and blastomycosis, including deat
