Intravenous golimumab in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Intravenous golimumab in a dosage of 2 mg/kg, initially given every 4 weeks but then every 8 weeks, in addition to methotrexate, is effective in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This weight-based infusion is administered over thirty minutes with an acceptable safety profile. Since it is a relatively new formulation, more time will be required to assess its specific role in the rheumatologists’ armamentarium and to appreciate more fully its long-term safety.

Keywords::

• anti-TNF-α antibodies
• golimumab
• rheumatoid arthritis treatment
• safety of TNF-α inhibition
• TNF-α inhibition

Financial & competing interests disclosure

EC Keystone has received consulting fees, speaking fees and/or research grants from Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, F. Hoffman LaRoche, Genentech, Janssen, Johnson and Johnson, Merck/Schering Plough, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Wyeth. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• Intravenous (iv.) golimumab plus methotrexate (MTX) is efficacious in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

• A dose of 2 mg/kg of golimumab infused initially every 4 weeks but then every 8 weeks plus MTX is an effective regimen.

• The safety profile of iv. golimumab plus MTX is similar to the other TNF-α inhibitors.

• iv. golimumab plus MTX rapidly improved sign and symptoms in patients with active RA despite MTX.

• iv. golimumab plus MTX demonstrated sustained efficacy up to 1 year of study.

• Those RA patients treated with golimumab plus MTX demonstrated less radiographic progression.

• The most common adverse events reported in RA patients receiving golimumab plus MTX were non-serious infections.

• The exact place of iv. golimumab among the other available TNF-α inhibitors and among other available biologics remains to be determined.