title: Efficacy and safety of reducing duration of infliximab infusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the safety and efficacy of reducing the duration of infliximab infusion for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first 6 infliximab infusions were each administered over a 2-h period. If no adverse reaction was observed, infusion times were shortened to 1 h starting with the seventh infusion with further shortening to 30 min starting with the thirteenth infusion. Subjects were divided into two groups: shortened infusion time group, in which infusion times were shortened as above; and constant infusion time group, in which infusion time was 2 h. Incidence of infusion reactions and improvement in disease activity score for 28 joints (DAS-28) erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) for total infusions were compared for the seventh to twelfth and thirteenth to eighteenth infusions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidences of infusion reactions after the seventh to twelfth and thirteenth to eighteenth infusions in the shortened infusion time group were 0.53% and 0.58%, respectively. In the constant infusion time group, these were 0.70% and 0.67%, respectively. Furthermore, shortening the infusion duration did not affect the DAS-28 (ESR) improvement rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We established that this stage-wise shortening of infusion duration, first to 1 h and then to 30 min, did not compromise the safety or efficacy of treatment.
authors.affiliation: The First Department of Internal Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health , Japan, Kitakyushu , Japan.
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuyo
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaoka
authors.forename: Norifumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sawamukai
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nawata
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Yoshiya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D000069285:Infliximab