Chronic Pain Today

FDA Approves Cimzia to Treat Crohn’s Disease

A new drug has been approved to help sufferers of Crohn’s disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today. Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) received approval for adults with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease who have not responded to conventional therapies. This product was approved with a Medication Guide.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease that affects more than 1 million men and women worldwide. It has no cure and its cause is unknown. Crohn’s can cause diarrhea, fever, rectal bleeding, malnutrition, narrowing of the intestinal tract, obstructions, abscesses, cramping, and abdominal pain. It also can lead to abnormal connections (fistulas) leading from the intestine to the skin or internal organs.

“Crohn’s is a debilitating disease that disrupts the quality of life for its sufferers,” said Julie Beitz, M.D., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation III for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “This drug works to reduce the signs and symptoms of Crohn’s, but it also carries risks that will require patients on it to be closely monitored by their physicians or other health care professionals.”

Patients treated with Cimzia will receive an injection every two weeks for the first three injections. Once benefit has been established, Cimzia should be given once every four weeks.

The most common side effects of Cimzia are headache, upper respiratory infections, abdominal pain, injection site reactions and nausea.

Patients taking Cimzia are at increased risk for serious adverse effects, including serious infections that can lead to hospitalization or death. Because Cimzia affects the immune system, it can lower the body’s ability to fight infections, such as tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections. Cimzia is a blocker of TNF (tumor necrosis factor) and may cause lymphomas (a form of cancer) and other malignancies. Although an increased risk of tumors was not seen in studies of Cimzia, the modest size and relatively short duration of the controlled studies prevents any firm conclusion. Post-marketing studies and clinical trials will be required to obtain long-term safety data.

Patients taking Cimzia should be educated about how to identify an infection and be instructed to contact their health care professional at the first sign of infection while on Cimzia. In cases of serious infections, the drug should be discontinued immediately.

Cimzia is manufactured by UCB, Inc., Smyrna, GA.

For more information on Crohn’s disease, visit:
Crohn’s Disease–National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/index.htm

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One of the best things a person with chronic pain can do is exercise. However, it is the one thing that most people with chronic pain seem to avoid. The feeling seems to be “why exercise when moving hurts me?” and that is a very valid point. It may indeed make you feel worse after starting an exercise program however you will eventually begin to feel better as you progress. Exercising regularly though will increase your stamina and regulate pain messages so that you will hurt less day to day. Exercise is a proven way to release your body’s natural painkillers, called endorphins. These pain killers last in the body and help ward off new pain. Exercise also helps regulate weight that can contribute to chronic pain levels.

What Exercise Does
Your joints will stay moving.
Your muscles will strengthen.
You will have more stamina.
It helps manage pain through endorphin release.
It will increase your energy.
Your heart will strengthen.
It will improve your overall health.
It will help control your weight.
It will reduce your stress levels.

Many times there are diabetics without healthcare. I myself know someone like this. There are plenty of patient assistance programs designed to help those in need. This is a great program designed to give out free insulin to those in need. You will have to qualify and show proof of need so there is little chance of abusing this program. If you or someone you love needs insulin and cannot afford it, please see the following PDF form for how to get a free 90 days supply of insulin.

https://www.pparx.org/resources/2007-11-02.Novo_Nordisk.Novo_Nordisk_Diabetes_Patient_Assistance_Program.440.pdf