Frequently Asked Questions About HUMIRA® and JIA
What is the most important information I should know about HUMIRA?
HUMIRA is a medicine that affects your child's immune system. HUMIRA can lower the
ability of your child's immune system to fight infections. Serious infections have
happened in patients receiving HUMIRA. These infections include TB (tuberculosis)
and infection by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body.
Some patients have died from these infections.
HUMIRA may not be right for your child. Before starting HUMIRA, tell your child's doctor if:
- you think your child has an infection, is being treated for an infection, or has
signs of infection (such as fever, cough, or flu-like symptoms),
- your child has any open sores on his/her body, has warm, red, or painful skin, gets
a lot of infections or has infections that keep coming back,
- your child has or had hepatitis B infection, or has been in close contact with someone
who has TB, has lived in an area where TB or histoplasmosis is common, or was born
in, lived in or traveled where there is more risk for getting TB.
Your child's doctor should test your child for TB before starting HUMIRA. If your
child's doctor prescribes any medicine for the treatment of TB, your child should
start taking it before starting HUMIRA and take the full course of TB medicine prescribed.
Also tell your child's doctor if your child:
- has any numbness or tingling, or has a disease that affects his/her nervous system
such as multiple sclerosis or Guillian-Barré syndrome,
- has heart failure or other heart conditions,
- has recently received or is scheduled to receive vaccines,
- is scheduled for major surgery,
- is pregnant or becomes pregnant, or is breastfeeding
- is allergic to rubber or latex. The needle cover on the prefilled syringe contains dry natural rubber.
- is allergic to HUMIRA or any of its ingredients.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines your child takes, including prescription
and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.
After starting HUMIRA, call your doctor right away if your child
gets an infection, or any sign of an infection, including a fever, feeling very
tired, a cough, warm, red, or painful skin or open sores.
How does exposure to illnesses such as chicken pox affect my child?
It is important that you make your child's school nurse and teachers aware that
your child is taking HUMIRA. They should inform you of any infections (chicken pox,
mumps, measles, etc) that your child might be exposed to at school. You should call
the prescribing doctor if this occurs.
What should I do about my child's vaccination schedule?
Discuss your concerns with your child's prescribing doctor. Your child should be
brought up to date with all immunizations prior to starting HUMIRA. Except for live
virus vaccines, your child may still receive vaccines while on HUMIRA.
How will I know if my child is allergic to HUMIRA?
Warning signs may include a severe rash, swollen face, or difficulty breathing.
If your child experiences any of these symptoms, call your child's prescribing doctor
or seek emergency care immediately.
Tell your child's doctor if he/she has any allergies to rubber or latex. The needle
cover on the pre-filled syringe contains dry natural rubber which can trigger an
allergic reaction.
How will HUMIRA affect the growth and development of my child?
HUMIRA has been studied in a trial of 171 children ages 4 to 17 years old with polyarticular
JIA for a period of up to 2 years. Currently there are not enough data to assess
the effect of HUMIRA on growth, development, and maturation of a child. If you are
concerned about these issues, talk with the child's physician who prescribed HUMIRA.
Are there any foods that interact with HUMIRA?
Studies have not been done to see how HUMIRA interacts with food. If you have questions,
talk to your child's doctor.
Who shouldn't use HUMIRA?
Tell your child's doctor if he/she has any allergies to rubber or latex. The needle
cover on the pre-filled syringe contains dry natural rubber, which can trigger an
allergic reaction. Your child should not use HUMIRA if he/she has an allergy to
any of the ingredients in HUMIRA (including sodium phosphate, sodium citrate, citric
acid, mannitol, and polysorbate 80).
What important information do I need to know about side effects with HUMIRA?
Serious side effects, which sometimes lead to death, have happened in people taking
HUMIRA including:
Serious Infections. See "What is the most important information I should
know about HUMIRA?"
Certain types of cancer. There have been cases of certain kinds of cancer
in patients taking HUMIRA or other TNF blockers. Some patients receiving HUMIRA
have developed types of cancer called non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell and squamous
cell cancer of the skin), which are generally not life-threatening. Tell your doctor
if your child has a bump or sore that doesn't heal. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis
(RA), especially more serious RA, may have a higher chance for getting a kind of
cancer called lymphoma.
Allergic reactions. Signs of a serious allergic reaction include a skin rash,
a swollen face, or trouble breathing.
Hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients who carry the virus in their blood.
In some cases, patients have died as a result of hepatitis B virus being reactivated.
Your doctor should monitor your child carefully during treatment with HUMIRA if
your child carries the hepatitis B virus in his/her blood. Tell your doctor if your
child has any of these symptoms: feels unwell, poor appetite, fatigue, fever, skin
rash or joint pain.
Nervous system problems. Signs and symptoms of a nervous system problem include:
numbness or tingling, problems with vision, weakness in your child's legs, and dizziness.
Blood problems. Your child's body may not be able to make enough of the blood
cells that help fight infections or help to stop bleeding. Symptoms include a fever
that does not go away, bruising or bleeding very easily, or looking very pale.
New heart failure or worsening of the heart failure your child may already have.
Symptoms include shortness of breath or swelling of the ankles or feet, or sudden
weight gain.
Immune reactions including a lupus-like syndrome. Symptoms include chest
discomfort or pain that does not go away, shortness of breath, joint pain, or a
rash on your child's cheeks or arms that is sensitive to the sun. Symptoms may go
away when your child stops HUMIRA.
Call your child's prescribing doctor or get medical care right away if your child
develops any of the above symptoms. Your child's treatment with HUMIRA may be stopped.
What are the common side effects with HUMIRA?
- Injection site reaction such as redness, rash, swelling, itching, or bruising. These
symptoms usually will go away within a few days. If your child has pain, redness or
swelling around the injection site that doesn't go away within a few days or gets
worse, call the doctor that prescribed HUMIRA right away.
- Upper respiratory infection (including sinus infection)
- Headaches
- Rash
- Nausea
These are not all the side effects with HUMIRA. Call your child's doctor if your
child has any side effects that bother him/her or that do not go away. Ask your
doctor or pharmacist for more information.
How do I give my child a HUMIRA injection?
HUMIRA is given by an injection under the skin. Your child's doctor or their nurse
will provide you with specific instructions on how to give HUMIRA. For further instruction, please read the Medication Guide.
To talk to a nurse, call 1-800-4HUMIRA (1-800-448-6472).
Will I be able to reuse the syringe?
HUMIRA is available as a single-dose syringe and should NEVER be injected more than
once.
How should I store my child's HUMIRA?
HUMIRA should be stored in the refrigerator (36 to 46° F) in the original container
until you have to use it. Do not freeze HUMIRA. If you feel that it has been frozen,
you should not use it even if it thaws.
Click here
to view Medication Guide and discuss it with your doctor.