Remicade, a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) arthritis drug, will be revising their label ... again. Patients taking the drug might be placed at a higher risk of developing lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.
This is the second time the drug's label has been changed in the past three months. The first time happened because of the drugs associated risk of blood-related disorders:
Due to the label change, the drug's safety profile will be similar with that of its competitors. Remicade, along with Enbrel and Humira, are drugs known for their blocking of an inflammation-causing protein, tumor necrosis factor (TNF). With combined sales of $4.1 billion in 2003, these TNF-blockers are among the most successful of biotechnology drugs. However, these drugs have also been under health-risk suspicion and the negative spotlight on Remicade has only added fuel to the fire.
Studies have proven Remicade and Enbrel to put patients at risk of tuberculosis as well. Health officials said 12 Californians who had taken the drugs tested positive for the disease. Two of those infected died. A report predicted that as the use of these drugs increases, the associated cases of tuberculosis might increase as well.
Many are concerned of what other health conditions may "come out of the closet" with taking these drugs. Either way, chances are pharmaceutical companies will be extremely conservative about associated side effects of drugs.
Yahoo News October 8, 2004
Remember: You DO NOT need potentially deadly drugs to help fight rheumatoid arthritis, or any disease for that matter. There are a number of methods that I have used to help thousands of patients with RA go into remission:
For over a decade I have used an effective revision of Dr. Brown's antibiotic protocol to treat RA. Dr. Brown was a revolutionary pioneer that determined over 50 years ago that mycoplasma caused rheumatoid arthritis. He used antibiotics as an alternative to the dangerous steroid drugs that were developed during his time. He helped over 10,000 patients go into remission during his lifetime.
I first started using his program in 1989 and have helped more than 3,000 patients go into remission with their RA. You can read the testimony of one of these patients. However, I have always been concerned that I had to rely on using drugs to treat the problem. Over the years I have found a number of effective treatments that work not only for rheumatoid arthritis, but also for nearly all other autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.
The first improvement over Dr. Browns protocol involved the use of optimized nutrition. Initially, that involved the restriction of foods we know impair the immune system like sugar and trans fat. Later we added high levels of omega-3 fats like DHA and EPA from cod liver and fish oil. Eventually that was improved to include nutritional typing. Individualizing a persons diet with nutritional typing principles was an absolutely amazing improvement in our results with treating this disease.
However, one of the most potent weapons in our arsenal to reverse the ravages of this disease is an energy psychology tool called Emotional Freedom Technique. It is very rare where we find someone with a serious autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis where emotional wounding is not an issue. Thankfully, we have such an effective tool like EFT.
While this technique can be learned in a few minutes with my free manual, it is clearly inappropriate to use by oneself to treat serious emotional wounds. It is highly recommended and encouraged that one obtain professional consultations to carefully resolve these problems.
RA is an autoimmune disease, and is thought to occur when the body's immune system turns against itself. That is why it is extremely important to take care of your body and make sure you are eating the right foods according to my plan.
The bottom line is that drugs and surgery are both clearly inferior options for most RA patients as they in no way, shape or form solve the problem. Folks, if you know anyone with this potentially devastating disease, please plead with them to seek a form of treatment that addresses the underlying cause. Failure to do so could condemn them to a lifetime of misery as much of the damage of RA is irreversible once it has occurred. Once the joints are destroyed there is no way to bring them back.
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