What is the difference between remicade and orencia

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either upadacitinib or abatacept for at least 12 weeks. By week 12, 30 percent of those who were taking upadacitinib had reached remission, as did 13 percent of those who were using abatacept. The catch, however, is that patients in the upadacitinib group were more likely to experience serious side effects than those in the abatacept group.

Two patients in that group had dangerous blood clots, one had a non-fatal stroke, and one person died. People getting upadacitinib were also more likely to have high levels of liver enzymes in their blood which indicates damage to liver cells.

Learn more and sign up here. Rubbert-Roch A, et al. Trial of upadacitinib or abatacept in rheumatoid arthritis. The New England Journal of Medicine. October 15, Animal studies suggest that Orencia may affect a developing fetus if used during pregnancy. A pregnancy registry is available for women who have taken or are taking Orencia during pregnancy. The registry allows doctors to collect information on the safety of Orencia use in pregnant women. To find out more information about the registry, call or visit the registry website.

Studies in animals have shown that Orencia passes into the breast milk of animals who are given the drug. If you need financial support to pay for Orencia, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, assistance is available.

Bristol-Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of Orencia, offers a copay program for people who are using the self-injected form of Orencia. To find out more information, call or visit the program website. Your infusion will take about 30 minutes. During this time, the liquid containing Orencia will move from the IV bag, through the needle, and into your vein. Your doctor may want to monitor you for a while before you leave the clinic.

Your doctor may recommend that you receive Orencia through a subcutaneous injection an injection under your skin. Initially, your healthcare provider may want to give you your Orencia injection. This allows them to explain the injection process and show you exactly how to do it. After your doctor has shown you how to do Orencia injections, they may ask you to start giving yourself injections of the drug.

Each Orencia injection can be done through two different devices: a prefilled syringe or a prefilled ClickJect autoinjector. Each device will come with the exact amount of Orencia that your doctor prescribed.

You can also visit the Orencia website to read more about how to self-inject the drug. You should take Orencia according to that schedule. You may be able to. Orencia is sometimes recommended for use in people with forms of arthritis who also have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD. But these people should be closely monitored while using the drug.

In fact, it can increase your risk of having serious difficulty with breathing. Your doctor can recommend if Orencia is safe for you to use. You may be able to get certain vaccines during Orencia treatment. Live vaccines contain a weakened form of a virus or bacteria.

If you have any questions about which vaccines are needed, talk with your doctor. They can prescribe an antibiotic that works well when taken with Orencia. Your doctor may want you to take Orencia through an intravenous IV infusion. Otherwise, your doctor may want you to take Orencia through a subcutaneous injection.

In this case, Orencia will be injected with a needle under your skin. The first injection should be done at a healthcare clinic by medical staff. In this case, Orencia is given as an injection into your vein. The form of Orencia used for IV infusions contains maltose.

When exposed to maltose, some glucose blood sugar monitors may show that you have higher levels of blood sugar than you actually do. Although one clinical study evaluated its use for hair loss, the study was small and only included 15 people. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about hair loss. It depends on your insurance plan. To request prior authorization, your doctor will fill out paperwork for your insurance company.

The insurance company will then review this paperwork and let you know if your plan will cover Orencia. Before taking Orencia, talk with your doctor about your health history. Orencia may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. These include:. Using more than the recommended dosage of Orencia can lead to serious side effects.

You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or use their online tool. But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. When you get Orencia from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the bottle. This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication. The expiration date helps guarantee the effectiveness of the medication during this time.

If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk to your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it. How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. You should keep the medication protected from light and stored inside the original packaging. This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident.

It also helps keep the drug from harming the environment. The FDA website provides several useful tips on medication disposal. You can also ask your pharmacist for information on how to dispose of your medication. For JIA treatment, Orencia can be used alone or in combination with methotrexate. Regardless of the condition treated, Orencia should not be co-administered with an anti-TNF medication.

Orencia binds to the cell-proteins CD80 and CD86, which are found in the cell membrane of antigen presenting cells. This binding inhibits the stimulation of the CD28 protein.

CD28 is essential to activate T-lymphocytes. Blocking this activation reduces the progression of these diseases. In-vitro studies indicate that the binding to CD80 and CD86 has additional cellular effects. By targeting T-lymphocytes, Orencia decreases their proliferation.

It also inhibits the production of key cytokines that are important for several immune reactions. Also, animal models have shown additional effects observed after Orencia administration. Studies revealed that Orencia can suppress inflammation and decrease the production of antibodies against collagen.

It can also limit the production of antigens that target INF-gamma. Whether these actions are important for the clinical effectiveness of Orencia remains unknown. The pharmacokinetics and metabolism of Orencia vary based on the condition being treated. They also vary based on route of administration. Studies in all patient populations show a trend of higher drug clearance with higher body weight. However, no significant variation in clearance is reported across use in people of different ages or gender.

Terminal half-life is observed at day In patients with RA, Orencia has a proportional increase between dosage and peak concentration. The relationship between dosage and area under the curve AUC follows the same trend.

Also, the volume of distribution reaches a ratio of 0. When administrated subcutaneously, Orencia reaches minimum and peak concentrations of If no loading dosage with intravenous administration is provided, Orencia reaches a mean trough concentration of Systemic clearance reaches 0. The subcutaneous bioavailability is The geometric trough concentration is Weekly subcutaneous administration of Orencia mg leads to a geometric trough concentration of The steady state is reached at day In children ages 6 to 17 years, Orencia reaches minimum and peak concentrations of The mean clearance is 0.

Pharmacokinetics studies for children under 6 years of age are not available as Orencia via intravenous infusion is not approved for use in this population. In children ages 2 to 17 years, weekly subcutaneous administration of Orencia reaches the steady state at day Mean concentrations of Orencia vary based on dosage. At day , Orencia reaches concentrations of There are no contraindications for the use of Orencia.

However, some precautions should be taken before and during its administration. The vial should be kept inside its original package and protected from light to avoid degradation. Temperatures should be controlled to prevent freezing of the solution. Also, these devices should be kept inside their original packaging and protected from light to avoid degradation. Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up-to-date.

However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.

The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses. Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling, and inflammation in the joints and can affect organs throughout the body.

Find out more here. Rheumatoid arthritis RA often initially causes symptoms in the toes and feet, and it can lead to deformities. Learn more about how RA affects the…. Actemra, which treats certain types of arthritis and more, can cause side effects such as weight gain.

Learn about the side effects and how to manage…. Rheumatoid arthritis RA is an autoimmune condition that affects joints, including the knees. Learn how RA affects the knees and what potential…. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis JRA typically starts during childhood, and it can present with a rash.

Learn more about JRA and its symptoms here. Orencia abatacept. What is Orencia? They haven't been studied in younger children. Subcutaneous under the skin injection of Orencia is done once a week. You can give yourself the shot or have a friend, family member, or home-healthcare worker help you with it. The injection should be given in the thigh, abdomen, or if someone else is administering it the upper arm. In some cases, healthcare providers prescribe an infusion for the first dosage, followed by self-injections afterward.

Injectable Orencia comes in pre-filled syringes or an autoinjector that contains mg of the drug. Injected Orencia is considered safe for treating JIA in children 2 or older, but at lower dosages. The Orencia autoinjector hasn't been studied in children. All listed dosages are according to the drug manufacturer. Check your prescription and talk to your healthcare provider to make sure you are taking the right dose for you.

Store Orencia syringes or autoinjectors in the refrigerator at between 36 degrees F and 46 degrees F. Do not freeze the medication. Keep it in the original packaging and out of the light. Dispose of any medications that are expired or are no longer needed. Your healthcare provider will instruct you as to the proper procedure for injections. Be sure to follow them exactly and ask any questions you may have. Keep the medication refrigerated until shortly before you intend to use it.

When it's time for the injection:. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with the syringes or the autoinjector. Using prefilled syringes:. Using autoinjectors:. After the injection:. Then, dispose of the injector according to the instructions that come with the drug. As with any drug, side effects are possible when you take Orencia.

Common side effects include:. Children and adolescents may also experience:. Severe side effects of Orencia are rare but possible.

They include:. If you have or suspect any severe side effects, call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away. To avoid dangerous interactions between Orencia and other drugs, be sure your healthcare provider knows about all medications you take, both prescription and over-the-counter, as well as any nutritional supplements. Orencia is known to have negative interactions with:. Infusions of Orencia contain maltose, which is a type of sugar. In people with diabetes who use blood-glucose monitors, this ingredient may cause false high readings on the day of infusion.

Talk to your healthcare provider about alternate ways to monitor your blood sugar on infusion days. For rheumatoid arthritis treated as often as every 4 weeks, up to a 7-day early infusion is allowed Orencia Age restriction of 18 years old and older for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis Age restriction of 2 years old and older for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis Maximum dose limits based on FDA prescribing information: 1, mg per intravenous infusion mg per subcutaneous injection The drug edits use criteria established by the FDA for drugs administered in the physician office.

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