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Biologics and URI's

I am now on my 3rd injectable biologic treatment. I've tried Enbril, Humira and now Simponi. I'm at a crossroads here. Each of these drugs ended up giving me some serious upper respiratory infections, to the point where I had to take off work. The infections are understandable. After all we're talking very strong immunosuppressants here. It's to the point now where I have to decide, stay on a moderate dose of prednisone ( the only thing that seems to work to control my stiff joints) and "enjoy" it's long term side effects or continue with coughing, wheezing and losing time and money from sick days.. I've been taking prednisone ( between 4 - 20 MG daily) for at least 10 years now. I dream of someday getting off prednisone but that just does not seem likely. I don't know if I'm looking for answers, advice or just an ear.

  1. Thank you for sharing kayjaybee13. We're here anytime you need a listening ear. You are not alone here. So sorry that you are dealing with respiratory infections and having to miss work. I hope that you and your doctor can't find some strategies for you to manage your symptoms and maintain your quality of life. In addition to speaking with your doctor about your options, this article on Switching RA Meds may be helpful to you: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/switching-ra-medicines-dont-wait-long-try-many/. Wishing you some relief soon. Thank you for being part of our community! Kelly, Rheumatoidarthritis.net Team member

    1. Hi kayjaybe13. Sorry to hear that you are having difficulties finding a treatment regimen. Have you looked into combination therapies? A Biologic combined with a DMARD have shown higher rates of effectiveness in some studies and also allow for lower dosage of each particular drug, with the hope of reducing the likelihood of some of the side-effects. This article from our editorial team looks at combination therapy: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/combinations-of-conventional-and-biologic-dmards/. Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

      1. The global rheumatoid arthritis drugs market expected to reach US$ 36.3 billion by 2021, growing at CAGR 8.5% over the forecast period 2017-2021, mainly due to number of promising RA therapies are in development and drug approvals.

        Browse Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Market by Drug Class - Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Inhibitors, Janus Kinase (JAK) Inhibitors, Other Biologics and Forecast 2017-2021 at https://www.ihealthcareanalyst.com/report/rheumatoid-arthritis-drugs-market/

        Major players include AbbVie, Ablynx, Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Centocor, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Galapagos NV, Genentech (Roche), Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Incyte Corp., Janssen Biotech, Johnson & Johnson, MedImmune, Merck & Co., Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, and UCB.

        1. The global rheumatoid arthritis drugs market expected to reach US$ 36.3 billion by 2021, growing at CAGR 8.5% over the forecast period 2017-2021, mainly due to number of promising RA therapies are in development and drug approvals.

          Browse Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Market by Drug Class - Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Inhibitors, Janus Kinase (JAK) Inhibitors, Other Biologics and Forecast 2017-2021 at https://www.ihealthcareanalyst.com/report/rheumatoid-arthritis-drugs-market/

          Major players include AbbVie, Ablynx, Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Centocor, Daiichi Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Galapagos NV, Genentech (Roche), Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Incyte Corp., Janssen Biotech, Johnson & Johnson, MedImmune, Merck & Co., Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, and UCB.

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