Immunology

This medication is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a condition in which the body’s own defense system (immune system) attacks healthy tissue. This leads to swelling in the joints, which causes pain and makes it harder to move. Abatacept works by weakening your immune system. This effect helps to slow down joint damage and reduce joint pain and swelling so you can move better. This medication is also used to treat other types of arthritis (such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis).

Abatacept is used alone or in combination with other medications to reduce the pain, swelling, difficulty with daily activities, and joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (a condition in which the body attacks its own joints causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in adults who have not been helped by other medications. It is also used alone or in combination with methotrexate (Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex, Trexall, Xatmep) to treat polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA; a type of childhood arthritis that affects five or more joints during the first six months of the condition, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in children 2 years of age or older. Abatacept is also used alone or in combination with other medications to treat psoriatic arthritis (condition that causes joint pain and swelling and scales on the skin) in adults. Abatacept is also used in combination with a calcineurin inhibitor (e.g., cyclosporine [Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune], tacrolimus [Astagraf, Prograf]) and methotrexate to prevent graft versus host disease (GVHD; a complication of hematopoietic stem-cell transplant [HSCT; a procedure that replaces diseased bone marrow with healthy bone marrow]) in adults and children 2 years of age and older. Abatacept is in a class of medications called selective costimulation modulators (immunomodulators). It works by blocking the activity of T-cells, a type of immune cell in the body that causes swelling and joint damage in people who have arthritis.

A drug used to help reduce the risk of rejection of organ and bone marrow transplants by the body. It is also used in clinical trials to make cancer cells more sensitive to anticancer drugs. Ciclosporin, also spelled cyclosporine and cyclosporin, is a calcineurin inhibitor, used as an immunosuppressant medication. It is a natural product.[8] It is taken by mouth or by injection into a vein for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, nephrotic syndrome, and in organ transplants to prevent rejection. It is also used as eye drops for keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes).

Ciclosporin is indicated to treat and prevent graft-versus-host disease in bone marrow transplantation and to prevent rejection of kidney, heart, and liver transplants. It is also approved in the US for treating of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, persistent nummular keratitis following adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis,[19][5] and as eye drops for treating dry eyes caused by Sjögren’s syndrome and meibomian gland dysfunction.

In addition to these indications, ciclosporin is also used in severe atopic dermatitis,[20] Kimura disease, pyoderma gangrenosum, chronic hives, acute systemic mastocytosis, and posterior or intermediate uveitis with noninfective cause.[citation needed] It is also used, albeit infrequently, in severe rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases.

Ciclosporin has also been used in people with acute severe ulcerative colitis and hives that do not respond to treatment with steroids.

This medication is used to treat plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Guselkumab belongs to a class of drugs known as monoclonal antibodies. It works by blocking a certain natural substance in your body (interleukin-23) that may cause inflammation and swelling. Guselkumab can help lessen the red, scaly, itchy patches of skin caused by plaque psoriasis and lessen the pain and swelling in the joints caused by psoriatic arthritis.

Guselkumab is indicated to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis in adults. Guselkumab is provided as a subcutaneous injection of 100 mg given every eight weeks (except for the second dose, which is given four weeks after the first dose).Guselkumab injection is used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (a skin disease in which red, scaly patches form on some areas of the body) in adults whose psoriasis is too severe to be treated by topical medications alone. It is also used alone or in combination with other medications to treat psoriatic arthritis (a condition that causes joint pain and swelling and scales on the skin) in adults. Guselkumab injection is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It works by stopping the action of certain cells in the body that cause the symptoms of psoriasis.

This medication is used to treat plaque psoriasis and certain types of arthritis (psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondyloarthritis). Ixekizumab belongs to a class of drugs known as monoclonal antibodies. It works by blocking a certain natural protein in your body (interleukin-17A) that may cause inflammation and swelling.

Ixekizumab injection is used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (a skin disease in which red, scaly patches form on some areas of the body) in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose psoriasis is too severe to be treated by topical medications alone. It is also used alone or in combination with certain medications such as methotrexate (Rasuvo, Trexall, others) to treat psoriatic arthritis (a condition that causes joint pain and swelling and scales on the skin) in adults. Ixekizumab injection is also used to treat ankylosing spondylitis (a condition in which the body attacks the joints of the spine and other areas, causing pain and joint damage) in adults. It is also used to treat active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (a condition in which the body attacks the joints of the spine and other areas causing pain and signs of swelling, but without changes seen on x-ray) in adults, Ixekizumab injection is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It works by blocking the action of a certain natural substance in the body that causes the symptoms of psoriasis.

A drug that binds to the protein PD-1 to help immune cells kill cancer cells better and is used to treat many different types of cancer. These include cancers that express the protein PD-L1 or that have certain mutations (changes) in genes involved in DNA repair. Nivolumab is used alone or with other drugs to treat certain types of esophageal cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma (a type of kidney cancer), melanoma, hepatocellular carcinoma (a type of liver cancer), squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, classic Hodgkin lymphoma, urothelial carcinoma (a type of bladder or urinary tract cancer), and malignant pleural mesothelioma. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Nivolumab may block PD-1 and help the immune system kill cancer cells. It is a type of monoclonal antibody and a type of immune checkpoint inhibitor. Also called Opdivo.

Nivolumab is approved to be used alone or with other drugs to treat:

• Classic Hodgkin lymphoma


• Colorectal cancer


• Esophageal cancer or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.


• Gastric (stomach) cancer, gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, or esophageal cancer


• Malignant pleural mesothelioma.


• Melanoma


• Non-small cell lung cancer.


• Renal cell carcinoma


• Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck


• Urothelial carcinoma

Nivolumab was approved for medical use in the United States in 2014. It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. It is made using Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Nivolumab is the second FDA-approved systemic therapy for mesothelioma and is the first FDA-approved immunotherapy for the first-line treatment of gastric cancer.

The combination of nivolumab with ipilimumab is used for the first-line treatment of adults with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) that cannot be removed by surgery.

In April 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab, in combination with certain types of chemotherapy, for the initial treatment of people with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

In May 2021, the U.S. FDA approved nivolumab for people with completely resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer with residual pathologic disease who have received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.[8]

In August 2021, the U.S. FDA approved nivolumab for the adjuvant treatment of people with urothelial carcinoma (UC) who are at high risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection.[16]

In May 2022, the U.S. FDA expanded the indication to include the first-line treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Omalizumab is used to control and prevent symptoms (such as wheezing and shortness of breath) caused by asthma that is due to year-round allergens. Controlling symptoms of asthma helps you maintain your normal activities and cuts down on time lost from work or school. Omalizumab may also be used to treat nasal polyps or to treat hives from an unknown cause (chronic idiopathic urticaria-CIU).

This medication must be used regularly to be effective. It does not work right away and should not be used to relieve sudden asthma attacks. If an asthma attack occurs, use your quick-relief inhaler (such as albuterol, salbutamol) as prescribed.s, at least one of them for metastatic disease.

Omalizumab injection is used to decrease the number of asthma attacks (sudden episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, and trouble breathing) in adults and children 6 years of age and older with allergic asthma (asthma caused by inhaling substances such as dander, pollen, and dust mites) whose symptoms are not controlled with inhaled steroids. It is also used to treat nasal polyps (swelling of the lining of the nose) in adults whose symptoms are not controlled with inhaled steroids. Omalizumab is also used to treat chronic hives without a known cause that cannot successfully be treated with antihistamine medications such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), cetirizine (Zyrtec), hydroxyzine (Vistaril), and loratadine (Claritin) in adults and children 12 years of age and older. Omalizumab is not used to treat other forms of hives or allergic conditions. Omalizumab injection is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It works by blocking the action of a certain natural substance in the body that causes the symptoms of allergic asthma, nasal polyps, and hives.

Pirfenidone is a medication used for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It works by reducing lung fibrosis through downregulation of the production of growth factors and procollagens I and II. A substance that is being studied in the prevention and treatment of scar tissue caused by radiation therapy. It belongs to the family of drugs called anti-inflammatory agents.

It was first approved in Japan for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis after clinical trials, under the trade name of Pirespa by Shionogi, in 2008. It was approved for use in the European Union in 2011, in Canada in 2012, and in the United States in October 2014. There is also a topical form named KitosCell developed for the treatment of abnormal wound healing processes

In the European Union, pirfenidone is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It was approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2011. In October 2008, it was approved for use in Japan, in India in 2010, and in China in 2011 (commercial launch in 2014). In October 2014, it was approved for medical use in the United States. A tablet version was approved for use in the United States in January 2017.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved risankizumab-rzaa (Skyrizi, AbbVie) for a third indication — treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease in adults — making it the first specific anti-interleukin 23 (IL-23) monoclonal antibody indicated for Crohn’s disease.

This medication is used to treat plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It is also used to treat a certain bowel condition called Crohn’s disease. Risankizumab belongs to a class of drugs known as monoclonal antibodies. It works by blocking a certain natural protein in your body (interleukin-23) that may cause inflammation and swelling.

Risankizumab-rzaa injection is used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (a skin disease in which red, scaly patches form on some areas of the body) in adults whose psoriasis is too severe to be treated by topical medications alone. Risankizumab-rzaa is in a class of

Tacrolimus is used with other medications to prevent rejection of a kidney, heart, liver, or lung transplant. This medication belongs to a class of drugs known as immunosuppressants. It works by weakening your body’s defense system (immune system) to help your body accept the new organ as if it were your own.

Tacrolimus injection is used along with other medications to prevent rejection (attack of the transplanted organ by the transplant recipient’s immune system) in people who have received kidney, liver, or heart transplants. Tacrolimus injection should only be used by people who are unable to take tacrolimus by mouth. Tacrolimus injection is in a class of medications called immunosupressants. It works by decreasing the activity of the immune system to prevent it from attacking the transplanted organ.

This medication is used alone or with other medications to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults. It is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in children (such as polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis-PJIA, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis-SJIA). It helps to reduce pain and swelling due to rheumatoid arthritis. Tocilizumab is used to treat giant cell arteritis. It helps to reduce swelling in your blood vessels so blood can flow more easily. This medication is also used to slow down the decrease in lung function in people with a certain type of lung disease (systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease – SSc-ILD). Tocilizumab belongs to a class of drugs known as Interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockers. It works by blocking IL-6, a substance made by the body that causes swelling (inflammation).

Tocilizumab injection is used alone or in combination with other medications to relieve the symptoms of certain types of arthritis and other conditions including:

• rheumatoid arthritis (a condition in which the body attacks its own joints, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in adults who have not been helped by other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs),


• giant cell arteritis (a condition that causes swelling of blood vessels, especially in the scalp and head) in adults,


• systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD; also known as scleroderma-associated ILD: a lung disease that involves scarring of the lungs) in adults,


• polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA; a type of childhood arthritis that affects five or more joints during the first six months of the condition, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in children 2 years of age or older.


• systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA; a condition in children that causes inflammation in different areas of the body, causing fever, joint pain and swelling, loss of function, and delays in growth and development) in children 2 years of age or older,


• cytokine release syndrome (a severe and possibly life-threatening reaction) in adults and children 2 years of age or older after receiving certain immunotherapy infusions.

Tocilizumab injection is in a class of medications called interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitors. It works by blocking the activity of interleukin-6, a substance in the body that causes inflammation.

Tofacitinib is used to treat certain types of arthritis (such as psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, polyarticular course juvenile idiopathic arthritis-pcJIA). It helps to decrease pain/tenderness/swelling in the joints. Tofacitinib is also used to treat a certain bowel disease (ulcerative colitis). It helps to reduce symptoms of ulcerative colitis such as diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and stomach pain.

 Tofacitinib is used alone or with other medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis (condition in which the body attacks its own joints causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in adults who are unable to take or did not respond to one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor medication(s). It is also used to treat psoriatic arthritis (a condition that causes joint pain and swelling and scales on the skin) in adults who are unable to take or did not respond to or tolerate one or more TNF inhibitor medication(s). Tofacitinib is used to treat ulcerative colitis (a condition which causes swelling and sores in the lining of the colon [large intestine] and rectum) in adults who are unable to take or who did not respond to one or more TNF inhibitor medication(s). It is also used to treat polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA; a type of childhood arthritis that affects five or more joints during the first six months of the condition, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in children 2 years and older who are unable to take or who did not respond to one or more TNF inhibitor medication(s). Tofacitinib is in a class of medications called Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors. It works by decreasing the activity of the immune system.