What is adalimumab?
Adalimumab is a medicine that helps treat uveitis. It is a type of medicine called a biologic, which means it is made to work on a specific part of the immune system. Adalimumab blocks a body chemical called TNF‑alpha that causes swelling, so it helps calm the eye and protect sight. It is currently the only medicine that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specially for treating noninfectious uveitis.
How is it given?
Adalimumab is given as a shot under the skin, usually in the belly or the thigh. People often get one larger shot at the beginning and then a smaller shot every two weeks after that. Doctors may slowly lower other medicines like steroid pills once the eye is doing better on adalimumab. It can also be used together with other immunosuppressant medicines to help treat severe forms of uveitis, when the disease is very active or hard to control.
Is it safe?
Adalimumab can cause side effects, like redness or soreness where the shot is given and mild colds. Because it changes how the immune system works, it can make it easier to get infections, so doctors check for infections such as tuberculosis before starting it. Patients need regular checkups so the doctor can make sure the medicine is still safe and working well for them. It should usually be avoided in people who have multiple sclerosis or certain other nervous system diseases, so anyone with these problems should talk carefully with their doctor before using it.