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Infliximab (INN; trade names Remicade, Remsima, Inflectra) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) used to treat autoimmune diseases. Infliximab was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis.〔(Website for REMICADE® (infliximab) http://www.remicade.com/ )〕 It is used off-label outside its FDA approval for Behçet's disease and other conditions. Infliximab works by binding to TNF-α. TNF-α is a chemical messenger (cytokine) and a key part of the autoimmune reaction. In rheumatoid arthritis, infliximab seems to work by preventing TNF-α from binding to its receptor in the cell. Infliximab is an artificial antibody. It was originally developed in mice as a mouse antibody. Because humans have immune reactions to mouse proteins, the mouse common domains were replaced with similar human antibody domains. They are monoclonal antibodies and have identical structures and affinities to the target. Because they are a combination of mouse and human antibody amino acid sequences, they are called a "chimeric monoclonal antibody". In the United States, Infliximab can cost $19,000 to $22,000 a year per patient wholesale, according to Centocor.〔("Priced out of pain relief; Insurers balk at high costs of promising new treatments" ), Victoria Colliver, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', May 8, 2007〕 Other monoclonal antibodies targeting TNF-α are golimumab (Simponi), adalimumab (Humira), and certolizumab pegol (Cimzia). Etanercept also binds and inhibits the action of TNF-α, but is not a monoclonal antibody (it is instead a fusion of TNF-receptor and an antibody constant region). Infliximab is administered by intravenous infusion, typically at six- to eight-week intervals, at a clinic or hospital. It cannot be administered orally because the digestive system would destroy the drug. ==Medical uses== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「infliximab」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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