Serious adverse events with infliximab: analysis of spontaneously reported adverse events. 2007

Richard A Hansen, and Gerald Gartlehner, and Gregory E Powell, and Robert S Sandler
Center for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA. rahansen@unc.edu

OBJECTIVE Serious adverse events such as bowel obstruction, heart failure, infection, lymphoma, and neuropathy have been reported with infliximab. The aims of this study were to explore adverse event signals with infliximab by using a long period of post-marketing experience, stratifying by indication. METHODS The relative reporting of infliximab adverse events to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was assessed with the public release version of the adverse event reporting system (AERS) database from 1968 to third quarter 2005. On the basis of a systematic review of adverse events, Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms were mapped to predefined categories of adverse events, including death, heart failure, hepatitis, infection, infusion reaction, lymphoma, myelosuppression, neuropathy, and obstruction. Disproportionality analysis was used to calculate the empiric Bayes geometric mean (EBGM) and corresponding 90% confidence intervals (EB05, EB95) for adverse event categories. RESULTS Infliximab was identified as the suspect medication in 18,220 reports in the FDA AERS database. We identified a signal for lymphoma (EB05 = 6.9), neuropathy (EB05 = 3.8), infection (EB05 = 2.9), and bowel obstruction (EB05 = 2.8). The signal for granulomatous infections was stronger than the signal for non-granulomatous infections (EB05 = 12.6 and 2.4, respectively). The signals for bowel obstruction and infusion reaction were specific to patients with IBD; this suggests potential confounding by indication, especially for bowel obstruction. CONCLUSIONS In light of this additional evidence of risk of lymphoma, neuropathy, and granulomatous infections, clinicians should stress this risk in the shared decision-making process.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007155 Immunologic Factors Biologically active substances whose activities affect or play a role in the functioning of the immune system. Biological Response Modifier,Biomodulator,Immune Factor,Immunological Factor,Immunomodulator,Immunomodulators,Biological Response Modifiers,Biomodulators,Factors, Immunologic,Immune Factors,Immunological Factors,Modifiers, Biological Response,Response Modifiers, Biological,Factor, Immune,Factor, Immunological,Factors, Immune,Factors, Immunological,Modifier, Biological Response,Response Modifier, Biological
D008223 Lymphoma A general term for various neoplastic diseases of the lymphoid tissue. Germinoblastoma,Lymphoma, Malignant,Reticulolymphosarcoma,Sarcoma, Germinoblastic,Germinoblastic Sarcoma,Germinoblastic Sarcomas,Germinoblastomas,Lymphomas,Lymphomas, Malignant,Malignant Lymphoma,Malignant Lymphomas,Reticulolymphosarcomas,Sarcomas, Germinoblastic
D010523 Peripheral Nervous System Diseases Diseases of the peripheral nerves external to the brain and spinal cord, which includes diseases of the nerve roots, ganglia, plexi, autonomic nerves, sensory nerves, and motor nerves. Peripheral Nerve Diseases,Peripheral Neuropathies,PNS (Peripheral Nervous System) Diseases,PNS Diseases,Peripheral Nervous System Disease,Peripheral Nervous System Disorders,Nerve Disease, Peripheral,Nerve Diseases, Peripheral,Neuropathy, Peripheral,PNS Disease,Peripheral Nerve Disease,Peripheral Neuropathy
D006099 Granuloma A relatively small nodular inflammatory lesion containing grouped mononuclear phagocytes, caused by infectious and noninfectious agents. Granulomas
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000069285 Infliximab A chimeric monoclonal antibody to TNF-ALPHA that is used in the treatment of RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS; ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS; PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS and CROHN'S DISEASE. Inflectra,Infliximab-abda,Infliximab-dyyb,MAb cA2,Monoclonal Antibody cA2,Remicade,Renflexis,Antibody cA2, Monoclonal,Infliximab abda,Infliximab dyyb,cA2, Monoclonal Antibody
D000911 Antibodies, Monoclonal Antibodies produced by a single clone of cells. Monoclonal Antibodies,Monoclonal Antibody,Antibody, Monoclonal
D001499 Bayes Theorem A theorem in probability theory named for Thomas Bayes (1702-1761). In epidemiology, it is used to obtain the probability of disease in a group of people with some characteristic on the basis of the overall rate of that disease and of the likelihood of that characteristic in healthy and diseased individuals. The most familiar application is in clinical decision analysis where it is used for estimating the probability of a particular diagnosis given the appearance of some symptoms or test result. Bayesian Analysis,Bayesian Estimation,Bayesian Forecast,Bayesian Method,Bayesian Prediction,Analysis, Bayesian,Bayesian Approach,Approach, Bayesian,Approachs, Bayesian,Bayesian Approachs,Estimation, Bayesian,Forecast, Bayesian,Method, Bayesian,Prediction, Bayesian,Theorem, Bayes
D014409 Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Serum glycoprotein produced by activated MACROPHAGES and other mammalian MONONUCLEAR LEUKOCYTES. It has necrotizing activity against tumor cell lines and increases ability to reject tumor transplants. Also known as TNF-alpha, it is only 30% homologous to TNF-beta (LYMPHOTOXIN), but they share TNF RECEPTORS. Cachectin,TNF-alpha,Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 2,Cachectin-Tumor Necrosis Factor,TNF Superfamily, Member 2,TNFalpha,Tumor Necrosis Factor,Cachectin Tumor Necrosis Factor,Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha
D015212 Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Chronic, non-specific inflammation of the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT. Etiology may be genetic or environmental. This term includes CROHN DISEASE and ULCERATIVE COLITIS. Bowel Diseases, Inflammatory,Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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