Humira released in USA

As expected, the new biologic medicine Humira has been approved by the FDA for adult use. According to the Wikipedia it may come in preloaded pen devices , which do sound like an improvement on the old manual syringe.

The story appeared in the Chicago Tribune's business pages:

"Humira has been shown to reduce signs and symptoms, and to induce and maintain clinical remission of Crohn's disease in patients who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy, and in those patients who did not benefit from treatment, or who were intolerant to previous treatment with Remicade therapy," said Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Abbott's drug also could be more convenient, the company and analysts say. Unlike Remicade, which has to be infused by a physician in the doctor's office, Humira is the only new Crohn's treatment that can be injected by the patient on his own.