What is "adalimumab"

n. An antirheumatic drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Adalimumab ( trade names Humira and Exemptia) is a medication used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, moderate to severe chronic psoriasis, moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis, adalimumab has a response rate similar to methotrexate, and in combination nearly doubles the response rate of methotrexate alone.

Adalimumab is a TNF inhibiting anti-inflammatory biologic medication. Adalimumab binds to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα). TNFα normally binds to TNFα receptors, which leads to the inflammatory response of autoimmune diseases. By binding to TNFα, adalimumab reduces this inflammatory response. Because TNFα is also part of the immune system that protects the body from infection, treatment with adalimumab may increase the risk of infections. Adalimumab was the first fully human monoclonal antibody drug approved by the FDA. It was derived from phage display, and was discovered through a collaboration between BASF Bioresearch Corporation (Worcester, Massachusetts, a unit of BASF) and Cambridge Antibody Technology as D2E7, then further manufactured at BASF Bioresearch Corporation and developed by BASF Knoll (BASF Pharma) and, ultimately, manufactured and marketed by Abbott Laboratories after the acquisition of BASF Pharma by Abbott. On January 1, 2013 Abbott split into two companies, one retaining the Abbott name and the other named AbbVie. Humira is now owned by AbbVie.

Humira costs approximately $3,100 per month, like the TNF-alpha inhibitor etanercept. In 2012, Humira had $4.3 billion of sales in the US, and $9.3 billion worldwide. In 2014, in India the first adalimumab biosimilar at a price of $200 a dose came to market. Humira's U.S. patent will expire in 2016. In 2016, another Indian drugmaker Torrent Pharmaceuticals launched a generic biosimilar.