Criteria for Taking Remicade

Remicade (Infliximab) is a biologic therapy given by intravenous injection. Due to the immune system being suppressed on this drug, there is a high risk of infection. Talk with your physician about your health and history before starting this type of therapy.

Ulcerative Colitis

• Remicade is indicated in the treatment of ulcerative colitis when the disease is moderate to severe. Remicade is used after all other treatments have proved unsuccessful. Patients are usually placed on Remicade only after oral aminosalicylates, immune modifiers, antibiotics and steroid treatments have failed.

Crohn's Disease

• Though Crohn's disease is more severe and evasive then ulcerative colitis. the treatment is basically the same. Patients are treated with aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, antibiotics, immune modifiers. If these are unsuccessful, Remicade could be used.

Plaque Psoriasis

• Psoriasis treatments begin with topical non-steroid medication. If unsuccessful a steroid topical would be indicated. Light treatment is tried before moving on to systemics like cyclosporine. If none of these treatments are effective Remicade could be the next therapy choice.

Psoriatic Arthritis

• Psoriatic arthritis is first treatment with NSAIDS. These are non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like Motrin. If these drugs are unsuccessful, DMARDS are indicated. These are antirheumatic drugs that are considered disease modifying. For the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, Remicade falls into this group and could be indicated.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that may never go away even with treatment. RA treatments begin with NSAIDS for the inflammation, analgesics for pain, and glucocorcticoids or prednisone to slow joint damage. DMARDS like penicillamine are next, and then the biologic therapies like Remicade. Remicade is sometimes used in combination with other drugs in the treatment of RA.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

• Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of chronic arthritis that primarily affects the spine, but can also be seen in other areas of the body. Treatment involves not only medicine, but also exercise and physical therapy. Drug therapy has always involved NSAIDS and DMARDS, but recently biologics, including Remicade, have be added and seen as very promising treatments.