title: Certolizumab pegol: a new biologic targeting rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: The past decade has been an exciting period for clinical research and patient care in rheumatoid arthritis. This is mostly due to targeted biologic agents that have changed the outcome of this disease. Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia(®), UCB Inc., GA, USA), which targets TNF-α with a different mechanism of action than widely used biologics, was initially investigated for Crohn's disease but has now been shown to be effective for rheumatoid arthritis. There have been three significant clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of certolizumab pegol in active rheumatoid arthritis; two with combination methotrexate and one with monotherapy. This article will summarize the data from those trials and compare some of the characteristics of certolizumab pegol to conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and other biologic agents. Treatment recommendations are beyond the scope of this review; however, with many options available, there will be annotations on current trends in the care of this chronic disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, University of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital, Suite 3000, 400 45th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA. aarat.patel@chp.edu
authors.forename: Aarat M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Larry W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Moreland
mesh_terms: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D000068582:Certolizumab Pegol; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D000068582:Certolizumab Pegol; D008727:Methotrexate