Amjevita

Cases of reactivation of tuberculosis and new onset tuberculosis infections have been reported in patients receiving adalimumab products, including patients who have previously received treatment for latent or active tuberculosis. Reports included cases of pulmonary and extrapulmonary (i.e., disseminated) tuberculosis. Evaluate patients for tuberculosis risk factors and test for latent infection prior to initiating AMJEVITA and periodically during therapy.

Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection prior to therapy with TNF blocking agents has been shown to reduce the risk of tuberculosis reactivation during therapy. Prior to initiating AMJEVITA, assess if treatment for latent tuberculosis is needed; and consider an induration of ≥ 5 mm a positive tuberculin skin test result, even for patients previously vaccinated with Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG).

Consider anti-tuberculosis therapy prior to initiation of AMJEVITA in patients with a past history of latent or active tuberculosis in whom an adequate course of treatment cannot be confirmed, and for patients with a negative test for latent tuberculosis but having risk factors for tuberculosis infection. Despite prophylactic treatment for tuberculosis, cases of reactivated tuberculosis have occurred in patients treated with adalimumab products. Consultation with a physician with expertise in the treatment of tuberculosis is recommended to aid in the decision whether initiating anti-tuberculosis therapy is appropriate for an individual patient.

Strongly consider tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis in patients who develop a new infection during AMJEVITA treatment, especially in patients who have previously or recently traveled to countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis, or who have had close contact with a person with active tuberculosis.

Closely monitor patients for the development of signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment with AMJEVITA, including the development of tuberculosis in patients who tested negative for latent tuberculosis infection prior to initiating therapy. Tests for latent tuberculosis infection may also be falsely negative while on therapy with AMJEVITA.

Discontinue AMJEVITA if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis. For a patient who develops a new infection during treatment with AMJEVITA, closely monitor them, perform a prompt and complete diagnostic workup appropriate for an immunocompromised patient, and initiate appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

If patients develop a serious systemic illness and they reside or travel in regions where mycoses are endemic, consider invasive fungal infection in the differential diagnosis. Antigen and antibody testing for histoplasmosis may be negative in some patients with active infection. Consider appropriate empiric antifungal therapy, taking into account both the risk for severe fungal infection and the risks of antifungal therapy, while a diagnostic workup is being performed. To aid in the management of such patients, consider consultation with a physician with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of invasive fungal infections.

In the controlled portions of the 39 global adalimumab clinical trials in adult subjects with RA, PsA, AS, CD, UC, Ps, HS and UV, the rate of serious infections was 4.3 per 100 patient-years in 7973 adalimumab-treated subjects versus a rate of 2.9 per 100 patient-years in 4848 control-treated subjects. Serious infections observed included pneumonia, septic arthritis, prosthetic and post-surgical infections, erysipelas, cellulitis, diverticulitis, and pyelonephritis

In the rheumatoid arthritis controlled trials, 12% of subjects treated with adalimumab and 7% of placebo-treated subjects that had negative baseline ANA titers developed positive titers at Week 24. Two subjects out of 3046 treated with adalimumab developed clinical signs suggestive of new-onset lupus-like syndrome. The subjects improved following discontinuation of therapy. No subjects developed lupus nephritis or central nervous system symptoms. The impact of long-term treatment with adalimumab products on the development of autoimmune diseases is unknown.

There have been reports of severe hepatic reactions including acute liver failure in subjects receiving TNF-blockers. In controlled Phase 3 trials of adalimumab (40 mg SC every other week) in subjects with RA, PsA, and AS with control period duration ranging from 4 to 104 weeks, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 3.5% of adalimumab-treated subjects and 1.5% of control-treated subjects. Since many of these subjects in these trials were also taking medications that cause liver enzyme elevations (e.g., NSAIDs, MTX), the relationship between adalimumab and the liver enzyme elevations is not clear. In a controlled Phase 3 trial of adalimumab in subjects with polyarticular JIA who were 4 to 17 years, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 4.4% of adalimumab-treated subjects and 1.5% of control-treated subjects (ALT more common than AST); liver enzyme test elevations were more frequent among those treated with the combination of adalimumab and MTX than those treated with adalimumab alone. In general, these elevations did not lead to discontinuation of adalimumab treatment. No ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in the open-label study of adalimumab in subjects with polyarticular JIA who were 2 to < 4 years.

In controlled Phase 3 trials of adalimumab (initial doses of 160 mg and 80 mg, or 80 mg and 40 mg on Days 1 and 15, respectively, followed by 40 mg every other week) in adult subjects with Crohn's disease with a control period duration ranging from 4 to 52 weeks, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 0.9% of adalimumab-treated subjects and 0.9% of control-treated subjects. In the Phase 3 trial of adalimumab in pediatric subjects with Crohn's disease which evaluated efficacy and safety of two body weight based maintenance dose regimens following body weight based induction therapy up to 52 weeks of treatment, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 2.6% (5/192) of subjects, of whom 4 were receiving concomitant immunosuppressants at baseline; none of these subjects discontinued due to abnormalities in ALT tests. In controlled Phase 3 trials of adalimumab (initial doses of 160 mg and 80 mg on Days 1 and 15, respectively, followed by 40 mg every other week) in adult subjects with UC with control period duration ranging from 1 to 52 weeks, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 1.5% of adalimumab-treated subjects and 1.0% of control-treated subjects. In controlled Phase 3 trials of adalimumab (initial dose of 80 mg then 40 mg every other week) in subjects with Ps with control period duration ranging from 12 to 24 weeks, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 1.8% of adalimumab-treated subjects and 1.8% of control-treated subjects. In controlled trials of adalimumab (initial doses of 160 mg at Week 0 and 80 mg at Week 2, followed by 40 mg every week starting at Week 4), in subjects with HS with a control period duration ranging from 12 to 16 weeks, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 0.3% of adalimumab-treated subjects and 0.6% of control-treated subjects. In controlled trials of adalimumab (initial doses of 80 mg at Week 0, followed by 40 mg every other week starting at Week 1) in adult subjects with uveitis with an exposure of 165.4 PYs and 119.8 PYs in adalimumab-treated and control-treated subjects, respectively, ALT elevations ≥ 3 × ULN occurred in 2.4% of adalimumab-treated subjects and 2.4% of control-treated subjects.

Other infrequent serious adverse reactions that do not appear in the Warnings and Precautions or Adverse Reaction sections that occurred at an incidence of less than 5% in adalimumab-treated subjects in RA studies (RA-I, RA-II, RA-III, and RA-IV) were:

In general, the adverse reactions in the adalimumab-treated subjects in the polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) trials (Studies JIA-I and JIA-II)

In Study JIA-I, adalimumab was studied in 171 subjects who were 4 to 17 years of age, with polyarticular JIA. Severe adverse reactions reported in the study included neutropenia, streptococcal pharyngitis, increased aminotransferases, herpes zoster, myositis, metrorrhagia, and appendicitis. Serious infections were observed in 4% of subjects within approximately 2 years of initiation of treatment with adalimumab and included cases of herpes simplex, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, pharyngitis, and herpes zoster.

In Study JIA-I, 45% of subjects experienced an infection while receiving adalimumab with or without concomitant MTX in the first 16 weeks of treatment. The types of infections reported in adalimumab-treated subjects were generally similar to those commonly seen in polyarticular JIA subjects who are not treated with TNF blockers. Upon initiation of treatment, the most common adverse reactions occurring in this population treated with adalimumab were injection site pain and injection site reaction (19% and 16%, respectively). A less commonly reported adverse event in subjects receiving adalimumab was granuloma annulare which did not lead to discontinuation of adalimumab treatment.

In the first 48 weeks of treatment in Study JIA-I, non-serious hypersensitivity reactions were seen in approximately 6% of subjects and included primarily localized allergic hypersensitivity reactions and allergic rash.

In Study JIA-I, 10% of subjects treated with adalimumab who had negative baseline anti-dsDNA antibodies developed positive titers after 48 weeks of treatment. No subject developed clinical signs of autoimmunity during the clinical trial.

Approximately 15% of subjects treated with adalimumab developed mild-to-moderate elevations of creatine phosphokinase (CPK) in Study JIA-I. Elevations exceeding 5 times the upper limit of normal were observed in several subjects. CPK concentrations decreased or returned to normal in all subjects. Most subjects were able to continue adalimumab without interruption.

In Study JIA-II, adalimumab was studied in 32 subjects who were 2 to < 4 years of age or 4 years of age and older weighing < 15 kg with polyarticular JIA. The safety profile for this population was similar to the safety profile seen in subjects 4 to 17 years of age with polyarticular JIA.

In Study JIA-II, 78% of subjects experienced an infection while receiving adalimumab. These included nasopharyngitis, bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infection, otitis media, and were mostly mild to moderate in severity. Serious infections were observed in 9% of subjects receiving adalimumab in the study and included dental caries, rotavirus gastroenteritis, and varicella.

In Study JIA-II, non-serious allergic reactions were observed in 6% of subjects and included intermittent urticaria and rash, which were all mild in severity.

Adalimumab has been studied in 395 subjects with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in two placebo-controlled trials and in an open-label study and in 393 subjects with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in two placebo-controlled studies

Adalimumab has been studied in 1696 subjects with plaque psoriasis (Ps) in placebo controlled and open-label extension studies

Adalimumab has been studied in 727 subjects with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in three placebo-controlled studies and one open-label extension study

Flare of HS, defined as ≥ 25% increase from baseline in abscesses and inflammatory nodule counts and with a minimum of 2 additional lesions, was documented in 22 (22%) of the 100 subjects who were withdrawn from adalimumab treatment following the primary efficacy timepoint in two studies.

Adalimumab has been studied in 464 adult subjects with uveitis (UV) in placebo-controlled and open-label extension studies and in 90 pediatric subjects with uveitis (Study PUV-I)

In the controlled portions of clinical trials of some TNF-blockers, including adalimumab products, more cases of malignancies have been observed among TNF-blocker-treated adult subjects compared to control-treated adult subjects. During the controlled portions of 39 global adalimumab clinical trials in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), plaque psoriasis (Ps), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and uveitis (UV), malignancies, other than non-melanoma (basal cell and squamous cell) skin cancer, were observed at a rate (95% confidence interval) of 0.7 (0.48, 1.03) per 100 patient-years among 7973 adalimumab-treated subjects versus a rate of 0.7 (0.41, 1.17) per 100 patient-years among 4848 control-treated subjects (median duration of treatment of 4 months for adalimumab-treated subjects and 4 months for control-treated subjects). In 52 global controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials of adalimumab in adult patients with RA, PsA, AS, CD, UC, Ps, HS and UV, the most frequently observed malignancies, other than lymphoma and NMSC, were breast, colon, prostate, lung, and melanoma. The malignancies in adalimumab-treated subjects in the controlled and uncontrolled portions of the studies were similar in type and number to what would be expected in the general U.S. population according to the SEER database (adjusted for age, gender, and race).¹

In controlled trials of other TNF blockers in adult patients at higher risk for malignancies (i.e., subjects with COPD with a significant smoking history and cyclophosphamide-treated patients with Wegener's granulomatosis), a greater portion of malignancies occurred in the TNF blocker group compared to the control group.

Malignancies, some fatal, have been reported among children, adolescents, and young adults who received treatment with TNF-blockers (initiation of therapy ≤ 18 years of age), of which AMJEVITA is a member. Approximately half the cases were lymphomas, including Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The other cases represented a variety of different malignancies and included rare malignancies usually associated with immunosuppression and malignancies that are not usually observed in children and adolescents. The malignancies occurred after a median of 30 months of therapy (range 1 to 84 months). Most of the patients were receiving concomitant immunosuppressants. These cases were reported post-marketing and are derived from a variety of sources including registries and spontaneous postmarketing reports.

Postmarketing cases of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL), a rare type of T-cell lymphoma, have been reported in patients treated with TNF blockers including adalimumab products. These cases have had a very aggressive disease course and have been fatal. The majority of reported TNF blocker cases have occurred in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and the majority were in adolescent and young adult males. Almost all of these patients had received treatment with the immunosuppressants azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine (6–MP) concomitantly with a TNF blocker at or prior to diagnosis. It is uncertain whether the occurrence of HSTCL is related to use of a TNF blocker or a TNF blocker in combination with these other immunosuppressants. The potential risk with the combination of azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine and AMJEVITA should be carefully considered.

The recommended subcutaneous dosage of AMJEVITA for adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD) is 160 mg initially on Day 1 (given in one day or split over two consecutive days), followed by 80 mg two weeks later (Day 15). Two weeks later (Day 29) begin a dosage of 40 mg every other week. Aminosalicylates and/or corticosteroids may be continued during treatment with AMJEVITA. Azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP)

The recommended subcutaneous dosage of AMJEVITA for pediatric patients 6 years of age and older with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD), based on body weight, is shown below:

The recommended subcutaneous dosage of AMJEVITA for adult patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis is 160 mg initially on Day 1 (given in one day or split over two consecutive days), followed by 80 mg two weeks later (Day 15). Two weeks later (Day 29) continue with a dosage of 40 mg every other week.

Discontinue AMJEVITA in adult patients without evidence of clinical remission by eight weeks (Day 57) of therapy. Aminosalicylates and/or corticosteroids may be continued during treatment with AMJEVITA. Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP)

The recommended subcutaneous dosage of AMJEVITA for adult patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an initial dose of 160 mg (given in one day or split over two consecutive days), followed by 80 mg two weeks later (Day 15). Begin 40 mg weekly or 80 mg every other week dosing two weeks later (Day 29).

A prospective cohort pregnancy exposure registry conducted by OTIS/MotherToBaby in the U.S. and Canada between 2004 and 2016 compared the risk of major birth defects in live-born infants of 221 women (69 RA, 152 CD) treated with adalimumab during the first trimester and 106 women (74 RA, 32 CD) not treated with adalimumab.

The proportion of major birth defects among live-born infants in the adalimumab-treated and untreated cohorts was 10% (8.7% RA, 10.5% CD) and 7.5% (6.8% RA, 9.4% CD), respectively. The lack of pattern of major birth defects is reassuring and differences between exposure groups may have impacted the occurrence of birth defects. This study cannot reliably establish whether there is an association between adalimumab and major birth defects because of methodological limitations of the registry, including small sample size, the voluntary nature of the study, and the non-randomized design.

In an independent clinical study conducted in ten pregnant women with IBD treated with adalimumab, adalimumab concentrations were measured in maternal serum as well as in cord blood (n = 10) and infant serum (n = 8) on the day of birth. The last dose of adalimumab was given between 1 and 56 days prior to delivery. Adalimumab concentrations were 0.16-19.7 mcg/mL in cord blood, 4.28-17.7 mcg/mL in infant serum, and 0-16.1 mcg/mL in maternal serum. In all but one case, the cord blood concentration of adalimumab was higher than the maternal serum concentration, suggesting adalimumab actively crosses the placenta. In addition, one infant had serum concentrations at each of the following: 6 weeks (1.94 mcg/mL), 7 weeks (1.31 mcg/mL), 8 weeks (0.93 mcg/mL), and 11 weeks (0.53 mcg/mL), suggesting adalimumab can be detected in the serum of infants exposed

In an embryo-fetal perinatal development study, pregnant cynomolgus monkeys received adalimumab from gestation days 20 to 97 at doses that produced exposures up to 373 times that achieved with the MRHD without methotrexate (on an AUC basis with maternal IV doses up to 100 mg/kg/week). Adalimumab did not elicit harm to the fetuses or malformations.

Published data suggest that the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with RA or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with increased disease activity. Adverse pregnancy outcomes include preterm delivery (before 37 weeks of gestation), low birth weight (less than 2500 g) infants, and small for gestational age at birth.

Monoclonal antibodies are increasingly transported across the placenta as pregnancy progresses, with the largest amount transferred during the third trimester

A prospective cohort pregnancy exposure registry conducted by OTIS/MotherToBaby in the U.S. and Canada between 2004 and 2016 compared the risk of major birth defects in live-born infants of 221 women (69 RA, 152 CD) treated with adalimumab during the first trimester and 106 women (74 RA, 32 CD) not treated with adalimumab.

The proportion of major birth defects among live-born infants in the adalimumab-treated and untreated cohorts was 10% (8.7% RA, 10.5% CD) and 7.5% (6.8% RA, 9.4% CD), respectively. The lack of pattern of major birth defects is reassuring and differences between exposure groups may have impacted the occurrence of birth defects. This study cannot reliably establish whether there is an association between adalimumab and major birth defects because of methodological limitations of the registry, including small sample size, the voluntary nature of the study, and the non-randomized design.

In an independent clinical study conducted in ten pregnant women with IBD treated with adalimumab, adalimumab concentrations were measured in maternal serum as well as in cord blood (n = 10) and infant serum (n = 8) on the day of birth. The last dose of adalimumab was given between 1 and 56 days prior to delivery. Adalimumab concentrations were 0.16-19.7 mcg/mL in cord blood, 4.28-17.7 mcg/mL in infant serum, and 0-16.1 mcg/mL in maternal serum. In all but one case, the cord blood concentration of adalimumab was higher than the maternal serum concentration, suggesting adalimumab actively crosses the placenta. In addition, one infant had serum concentrations at each of the following: 6 weeks (1.94 mcg/mL), 7 weeks (1.31 mcg/mL), 8 weeks (0.93 mcg/mL), and 11 weeks (0.53 mcg/mL), suggesting adalimumab can be detected in the serum of infants exposed

In an embryo-fetal perinatal development study, pregnant cynomolgus monkeys received adalimumab from gestation days 20 to 97 at doses that produced exposures up to 373 times that achieved with the MRHD without methotrexate (on an AUC basis with maternal IV doses up to 100 mg/kg/week). Adalimumab did not elicit harm to the fetuses or malformations.