Remicade Risk Of Nervous System Disorder. The Food and Drug Administration and manufacturer Centocor are warning doctors that patients receiving the drug Remicade to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease have suffered sometimes fatal blood and central nervous system disorders.
Centocor, a subsidiary of health care product manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, said the FDA has been told of 580 adverse reaction reports among 509,000 worldwide patients, said Craig Buchholz, a Centocor spokesman. Forty-four reports were most worrisome because they involved significant blood disorders.
At least 12 patients taking Remicade in combination with other drugs died worldwide.
“It was unclear whether these deaths were caused by this product,” said Lenore Gelb, an FDA spokeswoman.
The Malvern, Pa.-based company, working with the federal drug regulatory agency, revised its label for the monoclonal antibody.
Patients Receiving Remicade Suffered Reductions
The company’s Aug. 11 warning letter to doctors said patients receiving ‘Remicade’ suffered reductions in their red and white blood cell, granulocyte and platelet counts, leaving them more vulnerable to abnormal bleeding and infections. In rare instances, patients suffered central nervous system disorders, including confusing immune system responses that swelled, then decayed, blood vessels.
Centocor warned physicians to exercise caution when treating patients with histories of significant blood abnormalities with Remicade. Patients with persistent fevers should seek immediate medical attention.
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