Assessing Response to Treatment
Many people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) respond well to the RA medication they’re prescribed. Others may find that over time, a treatment that once worked well no longer provides the same results. If you think your RA treatment isn’t providing adequate relief from RA symptoms, talk to your rheumatologist. There are many treatment options available today for RA.
Finding the Right Treatment for You
When is it time to try something different? Many of the drugs RA patients take to reduce the signs and symptoms of RA target the messenger cytokine TNF. These anti-TNF treatments include some drugs you may have already taken, or are taking now, including Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Simponi and Cimzia.
Many people have success with anti-TNF therapies. For others, it is not uncommon for anti-TNF therapies to stop working well after a while. Not everyone responds to medications in the same way. There are certain signs and signals that tell you and your doctor it may be time to try a new RA treatment, including:
- Difficulty doing daily activities
- Little or no improvement in your RA symptoms, even after taking medicine
- Development of new or more frequent symptoms
- The treatment you are on becomes less effective over time
- Being unable to tolerate your treatment's side effects
Partnering with your doctor
If you feel that your current anti-TNF therapy isn't giving you enough relief from the signs and symptoms of RA,
talk to your doctor about a different treatment approach.
When your rheumatologist prescribed your RA treatment, he or she took several factors into consideration, including:
- Location and severity of RA symptoms
- Lab test results
- Other medications you're taking or have taken in the past for RA, as well as other important information regarding your medical history
- Your lifestyle, personal needs and preferences
So take a moment to think about how you've been feeling since you started taking your current treatment. Have you felt relief from pain and other RA symptoms? Do you feel your current treatment is still providing the same relief as when you first started taking it?
If not, or if you're not sure, talk to your rheumatologist. Together you can assess your current treatment, discuss your needs and determine a different course of treatment. Get helpful tips and tools for talking to your rheumatologist
Wondering if ACTEMRA is right for you? Click Here to learn more.
Important Side Effect Information
Before taking ACTEMRA, tell your healthcare provider if you have had diverticulitis (inflammation in parts of the large intestine) or ulcers in your stomach or intestines. Some people taking ACTEMRA get tears in their stomach or intestine. This happens most often in people who also take nonsteroidal anti—inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, or methotrexate.
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have fever and stomach-area pain that does not go away, and a change in your bowel habits.
This information does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about either your medical condition or your treatment with ACTEMRA. Talk with your healthcare provider if you have any questions about your treatment with ACTEMRA.
What is ACTEMRA?
ACTEMRA is a prescription medicine called an interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor Inhibitor. ACTEMRA is used to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after at least one other medicine called a Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) antagonist has been used and did not work well
IMPORTANT SIDE EFFECT INFORMATION
Some people have serious infections while taking ACTEMRA, including tuberculosis (TB), and infections caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses that can spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections.
Other serious side effects of ACTEMRA include tears (perforation) of the stomach and intestines, changes in blood test results (including low neutrophil count, low platelet count, increase in certain liver function tests and increase in blood cholesterol levels), hepatitis B infection becoming an active infection again and nervous system problems.
ACTEMRA affects the immune system and may increase your risk of certain cancers.
Serious allergic reactions, including death, can happen with ACTEMRA. These reactions may happen with any infusion of ACTEMRA, even if they did not occur with an earlier infusion. Patients must tell their doctor if they have had a previous reaction to ACTEMRA. Patients should not take ACTEMRA if they are allergic to it or any of its ingredients.
Common side effects with ACTEMRA in patients with RA include upper respiratory tract infections (common cold, sinus infections), headache and increased blood pressure (hypertension).
Patients must tell their healthcare provider if they plan to become pregnant or are
pregnant. It is not known if ACTEMRA will harm an unborn baby. Genentech has a registry
for pregnant women who take ACTEMRA. Patients who are pregnant or become pregnant while
taking ACTEMRA must contact the registry at 1-877- 311-8972 or
register online
at https://www.otispregnancy.org/
forms/otis_survey-f161
and talk to their healthcare provider.
Patients must call their healthcare provider for medical advice about any side effects. Patients or caregivers may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. Patients or caregivers may also report side effects to Genentech at 1-888-835-2555.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, for additional important safety information.
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