Mayo Clinic study documents serious Remicade side effects
The arthritis drug Remicade triples the risk of many types of cancer and doubles that of serious infections, according to a study done at the Mayo Clinic and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This is not the first time an increased risk of cancer and infection has been associated with Remicade infusions. However, this study quantified the risks and found other types of cancer linked to Remicade.
Previous evidence suggested that Remicade side effects might include a heightened risk of lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. Past research also found that patients taking Remicade infusions had a higher risk of tuberculosis and pneumonia. New evidence from the Mayo Clinic study shows that patients taking Remicade infusions are also at increased risk of other cancers of the skin, gastrointestinal system, lungs and breasts.
Such serious Remicade side effects appear to be greatest when higher doses are used. Researchers also noted that older and sicker patients who have taken Remicade infusions for longer periods are at the greatest risk for these Remicade side effects.
Medical researchers at the Mayo Clinic noted the benefits of Remicade—which include less pain and increased range of motion, flexibility and life expectancy—but they urge patients and their doctors to beware the Remicade side effects.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, more than 2 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition in which the body basically attacks the joints, causing inflammation, pain and deformity. At least half a million people have used powerful immunosuppressant drugs like Remicade.
Centocor, the maker of Remicade, has sought to refute the Mayo Clinic’s study, claiming that the new evidence does not prove that cancer and infection are genuine Remicade side effects.