This drug has been approved to treat adults who suffer from a type of inflammation of the blood vessels.
The injected drug Actemra (tocilizumab) has previously been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat rheumatoid arthritis in people who haven’t responded to or who cannot tolerated other approved rheumatoid arthritis medication, Health24 reported.
Actemra has now been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with giant cell arteritis, an inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).
In a media release, the FDA said this form of vasculitis mostly involves blood vessels of the head. Traditional therapy includes large doses of anti-inflammatory drugs called corticosteroids.
To be used ‘with caution’
“We expedited the development and review of this application because [Actemra] fulfils a critical need for patients with this serious disease who had limited treatment options,” said Dr Badrul Chowdhury, director of th
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