Adalimumab
monoclonal antibody
http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v2/n9/fig_tab/nrd1182_F1.html
VIENNA, Feb. 15, 2013 AbbVie announced the first long-term, patient-reported health outcomes data from analyses of the Phase 3 IMAgINE-1 trial. The analyses assessed improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures for pediatric patients aged 6 to 17 years with severe active Crohn’s disease, taking HUMIRA, who had an inadequate response, were intolerant or had contraindications to conventional therapy, as well as the work productivity of their caregivers throughout the 52-week study. The results of these analyses are being presented this week at the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) 8th Annual Congress.
Adalimumab (HUMIRA, Abbott) is the third TNF inhibitor, after infliximab and etanercept, to be approved in the United States. Like infliximab and etanercept, adalimumab binds to Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), preventing it from activating TNF receptors. Adalimumab was constructed from a fully human monoclonal antibody, while infliximab is a mouse-human chimeric antibody and etanercept is a TNF receptor-IgG fusion protein. TNFα inactivation has proven to be important in downregulating the inflammatory reactions associated with autoimmune diseases. As of 2008 adalimumab has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, moderate to severe chronic psoriasis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Although only approved for ulcerative colitis from late 2012 by the FDA in the disease’s management, it has been used for several years in cases that have not responded to conventional treatment at standard dosing for Crohn’s Disease.
However, because TNFα is part of the immune system that protects the body from infection, prolonged treatment with adalimumab may slightly increase the risk of developing infections.
HUMIRA (“Human Monoclonal Antibody in Rheumatoid Arthritis”) is marketed in both preloaded 0.8 mL syringes and also in preloaded pen devices (called Humira Pen), both injected subcutaneously, typically by the patient at home.
Adalimumab was discovered as a result of the collaboration between BASF Bioresearch Corporation (Worcester, Massachusetts, a unit of BASF) and Cambridge Antibody Technology which began in 1993.[4]
The drug candidate was discovered initially using CAT’s phage display technology and named D2E7.[2] The key components of the drug were found by guiding the selection of human antibodies from phage display repertoires to a single epitope of an antigen TNF alpha.[5] The ultimate clinical candidate, D2E7, was created and manufactured at BASF Bioresearch Corporation and taken through most of the drug development process by BASF Knoll, then further development, manufacturing and marketing by Abbott Laboratories, after Abbott acquired the pharmaceutical arm of BASF Knoll.[6]
Adalimumab was the first fully human monoclonal antibody drug approved by the FDA. It was derived from phage display,[1] and was discovered through a collaboration between BASF Bioresearch Corporation (Worcester, Massachusetts, a unit of BASF) and Cambridge Antibody Technology as D2E7,[2] 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.
In 2009, HUMIRA had over $5 billion in annual sales.[3]
Components of a Humira autoinjector pen
- Brekke OH , Sandlie I (January 2003). “Therapeutic antibodies for human diseases at the dawn of the twenty-first century”. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2 (1): 52–62. doi:10.1038/nrd984. PMID 12509759.
- Kempeni J (January 1999). “Preliminary results of early clinical trials with the fully human anti-TNFα monoclonal antibody D2E7”. Ann Rheum Dis 58 (suppl 1): I70–2. doi:10.1136/ard.58.2008.i70. PMC 1766582. PMID 10577977.
- http://www.abbott.com/static/content/microsite/annual_report/2006/humira.html
- [1] Cambridge Antibody Technology website
- Jespers LS, Roberts A, Mahler SM, Winter G, Hoogenboom HR (September 1994). “Guiding the selection of human antibodies from phage display repertoires to a single epitope of an antigen”. Biotechnology (N.Y.) 12 (9): 899–903. doi:10.1038/nbt0994-899. PMID 7521646.
- http://www2.basf.us/corporate/news2000/newsknoll_pharma_121500.html
- http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-12-2001/0001613559&EDATE=
- Rau R (January 2002). “Adalimumab (a fully human anti-tumour necrosis factor α monoclonal antibody) in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis: the initial results of five trials”. Ann Rheum Dis 61 (Suppl 2): ii70–3. doi:10.1136/ard.61.suppl_2.ii70. PMC 1766697. PMID 12379628.