Special Warning : אזהרת שימוש

4.4   Special warnings and precautions for use
Traceability
In order to improve the traceability of biological medicinal products, the name and the batch number of the administered product should be clearly recorded.

Infections
Patients must be monitored closely for signs and symptoms of infections including tuberculosis before, during and after treatment with Cimzia. Because the elimination of certolizumab pegol may take up to 5 months, monitoring should be continued throughout this period (see section 4.3).

Treatment with Cimzia must not be initiated in patients with a clinically important active infection, including chronic or localised infections, until the infection is controlled (see section 4.3).

Patients who develop a new infection while undergoing treatment with Cimzia should be monitored closely. Administration of Cimzia should be discontinued if a patient develops a new serious infection until the infection is controlled. Physicians should exercise caution when considering the use of Cimzia in patients with a history of recurring or opportunistic infection or with underlying conditions which may predispose patients to infections, including the use of concomitant immunosuppressive medications.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may not manifest typical symptoms of infection, including fever, due to their disease and concomitant medicinal products. Therefore, early detection of any infection, particularly atypical clinical presentations of a serious infection, is critical to minimise delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment.

Serious infections, including sepsis and tuberculosis (including miliary, disseminated and extrapulmonary disease), and opportunistic infections (e.g. histoplasmosis, nocardia, candidiasis) have been reported in patients receiving Cimzia. Some of these events have been fatal.

Tuberculosis
Before initiation of therapy with Cimzia, all patients must be evaluated for both active or inactive (latent) tuberculosis infection. This evaluation should include a detailed medical history for patients with a personal history of tuberculosis, with possible previous exposure to others with active tuberculosis, and with previous and/or current use of immunosuppressive therapy. Appropriate screening tests, e.g. tuberculin skin test and chest X-ray, should be performed in all patients (local recommendations may apply). It is recommended that the conduct of these tests should be recorded.
Prescribers are reminded of the risk of false negative tuberculin skin test results, especially in patients who are severely ill or immunocompromised.

If active tuberculosis is diagnosed prior to or during treatment, Cimzia therapy must not be initiated and must be discontinued (see section 4.3).


If inactive (‘latent’) tuberculosis is suspected, a physician with expertise in the treatment of tuberculosis should be consulted. In all situations described below, the benefit/risk balance of Cimzia therapy should be very carefully considered.

If latent tuberculosis is diagnosed, appropriate anti-tuberculosis therapy must be started before initiating treatment with Cimzia and in accordance with local recommendations.
Use of anti-tuberculosis therapy should also be considered before the initiation of Cimzia in patients with a past history of latent or active tuberculosis in whom an adequate course of treatment cannot be confirmed, and in patients who have significant risk factors for tuberculosis despite a negative test for latent tuberculosis. Biological tests for tuberculosis screening should be considered before starting Cimzia treatment if there is any potential latent tuberculosis infection, regardless of BCG vaccination.

Despite previous or concomitant prophylactic treatment for tuberculosis, cases of active tuberculosis have occurred in patients treated with TNF-antagonists including Cimzia. Some patients who have been successfully treated for active tuberculosis have redeveloped tuberculosis while being treated with Cimzia.

Patients should be instructed to seek medical advice if signs/symptoms (e.g. persistent cough, wasting/weight loss, low grade fever, listlessness) suggestive of a tuberculosis infection occur during or after therapy with Cimzia.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation
Reactivation of hepatitis B has occurred in patients receiving a TNF-antagonist including certolizumab pegol, who are chronic carriers of this virus (i.e., surface antigen positive). Some cases have had a fatal outcome.

Patients should be tested for HBV infection before initiating treatment with Cimzia. For patients who test positive for HBV infection, consultation with a physician with expertise in the treatment of hepatitis B is recommended.

Carriers of HBV who require treatment with Cimzia should be closely monitored for signs and symptoms of active HBV infection throughout therapy and for several months following termination of therapy. Adequate data of treating patients who are carriers of HBV with anti-viral therapy in conjunction with TNF-antagonist therapy to prevent HBV reactivation are not available. In patients who develop HBV reactivation, Cimzia should be stopped and effective anti-viral therapy with appropriate supportive treatment should be initiated.


Malignancies and lymphoproliferative disorders
The potential role of TNF-antagonist therapy in the development of malignancies is not known.
Caution should be exercised when considering TNF-antagonist therapy for patients with a history of malignancy or when considering continuing treatment in patients who develop malignancy.

With the current knowledge, a possible risk for the development of lymphomas, leukaemia or other malignancies in patients treated with a TNF-antagonist cannot be excluded.

In clinical trials with Cimzia and other TNF-antagonists, more cases of lymphoma and other malignancies have been reported among patients receiving TNF-antagonists than in control patients receiving placebo (see section 4.8). In the post marketing setting, cases of leukaemia have been reported in patients treated with a TNF-antagonist. There is an increased background risk for lymphoma and leukaemia in rheumatoid arthritis patients with long-standing, highly active, inflammatory disease, which complicates the risk estimation. Similarly, patients with Crohn’s disease that require chronic exposure to immunosuppressant therapies may be at higher risk than the general population for the development of lymphoma, even in the absence of TNF antagonist therapy.

No trials have been conducted that include patients with a history of malignancy, or that continue treatment in patients who develop malignancy, while receiving Cimzia.

Skin cancers
Melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma have been reported in patients treated with TNF-antagonists including certolizumab pegol (see section 4.8). Periodic skin examination is recommended, particularly for patients with risk factors for skin cancer.

Paediatric malignancy
Malignancies, some fatal, have been reported among children, adolescents and young adults (up to 22 years of age) treated with TNF-antagonists (initiation of therapy ≤ 18 years of age) in the post marketing setting. Approximately half the cases were lymphomas. The other cases represented a variety of different malignancies and included rare malignancies usually associated with immunosuppression. A risk for the development of malignancies in children and adolescents treated with TNF-antagonists cannot be excluded.

Post-marketing cases of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL), have been reported in patients treated with TNF-antagonists. This rare type of T-cell lymphoma has a very aggressive disease course and is usually fatal. The majority of reported TNF-antagonist cases occurred in adolescent and young adult males with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Almost all of these patients had received treatment with the immunosuppressants azathioprine and/or 6-mercaptopurine concomitantly with a TNF-antagonist at or prior to diagnosis. A risk for development of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma in patients treated with Cimzia cannot be excluded.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
In an exploratory clinical trial evaluating the use of another TNF-antagonist, infliximab, in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), more malignancies, mostly in the lung or head and neck, were reported in infliximab-treated patients compared with control patients. All patients had a history of heavy smoking. Therefore, caution should be exercised when using any TNF-antagonist in COPD patients, as well as in patients with increased risk for malignancy due to heavy smoking.

Congestive heart failure
Cimzia is contraindicated in moderate or severe heart failure (see section 4.3). In a clinical trial with another TNF-antagonist, worsening congestive heart failure and increased mortality due to 
congestive heart failure have been observed. Cases of congestive heart failure have also been reported in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving Cimzia. Cimzia should be used with caution in patients with mild heart failure (NYHA class I/II). Treatment with Cimzia must be discontinued in patients who develop new or worsening symptoms of congestive heart failure.

Haematological reactions
Reports of pancytopaenia, including aplastic anaemia, have been rare with TNF-antagonists. Adverse reactions of the haematologic system, including medically significant cytopaenia (e.g. leukopaenia, pancytopaenia, thrombocytopaenia) have been reported with Cimzia (see section 4.8). All patients should be advised to seek immediate medical attention if they develop signs and symptoms suggestive of blood dyscrasias or infection (e.g., persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, pallor) while on Cimzia. Discontinuation of Cimzia therapy should be considered in patients with confirmed significant haematological abnormalities.

Neurological events
Use of TNF-antagonists has been associated with rare cases of new onset or exacerbation of clinical symptoms and/or radiographic evidence of demyelinating disease, including multiple sclerosis. In patients with pre-existing or recent onset of demyelinating disorders, the benefits and risks of TNF- antagonist treatment should be carefully considered before initiation of Cimzia therapy. Rare cases of neurological disorders, including seizure disorder, neuritis and peripheral neuropathy, have been reported in patients treated with Cimzia.

Hypersensitivity
Severe hypersensitivity reactions have been reported rarely following Cimzia administration. Some of these reactions occurred after the first administration of Cimzia. If severe reactions occur, administration of Cimzia should be discontinued immediately and appropriate therapy instituted.

There are limited data on the use of Cimzia in patients who have experienced a severe hypersensitivity reaction towards another TNF-antagonist; in these patients caution is needed.

Latex-sensitivity
The needle shield inside the removable cap of the CIMZIA pre-filled syringe contains a derivative of natural rubber latex (see section 6.5). Contact with natural rubber latex may cause severe allergic reactions in individuals sensitive to latex. No antigenic latex protein has to date been detected in the removable needle cap of the Cimzia pre-filled syringe. Nevertheless, a potential risk of hypersensitivity reactions cannot be completely excluded in latex-sensitive individuals.

Immunosuppression
Since tumour necrosis factor (TNF) mediates inflammation and modulates cellular immune responses, the possibility exists for TNF-antagonists, including Cimzia, to cause immunosupression, affecting host defences against infections and malignancies.

Autoimmunity
Treatment with Cimzia may result in the formation of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and, uncommonly, in the development of a lupus-like syndrome (see section 4.8). The impact of long- term treatment with Cimzia on the development of autoimmune diseases is unknown. If a patient develops symptoms suggestive of a lupus-like syndrome following treatment with Cimzia, treatment must be discontinued. Cimzia has not been studied specifically in a lupus population (see section 4.8).

Vaccinations
Patients treated with Cimzia may receive vaccinations, except for live vaccines. No data are available on the response to live vaccinations or the secondary transmission of infection by live vaccines in patients receiving Cimzia. Live vaccines should not be administered concurrently with Cimzia.

In a placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, similar antibody response between Cimzia and placebo treatment were observed when the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine and influenza vaccine were administered concurrently with Cimzia. Patients receiving Cimzia and concomitant methotrexate had a lower humoral response compared with patients receiving Cimzia alone. The clinical significance of this is unknown.

Concomitant use with other biologics
Severe infections and neutropaenia were reported in clinical trials with concurrent use of anakinra (an interleukin-1 antagonist) or abatacept (a CD28 modulator) and another TNF-antagonist, etanercept, with no added benefit compared to TNF-antagonist therapy alone. Because of the nature of the adverse events seen with the combination of another TNF-antagonist with either abatacept or anakinra therapy, similar toxicities may also result from the combination of anakinra or abatacept and other TNF-antagonists. Therefore the use of certolizumab pegol in combination with anakinra or abatacept is not recommended (see section 4.5).

Surgery
There is limited safety experience with surgical procedures in patients treated with Cimzia. The 14- day half-life of certolizumab pegol should be taken into consideration if a surgical procedure is planned. A patient who requires surgery while on Cimzia should be closely monitored for infections, and appropriate actions should be taken.

Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) assay
Interference with certain coagulation assays has been detected in patients treated with Cimzia. Cimzia may cause erroneously elevated aPTT assay results in patients without coagulation abnormalities.
This effect has been observed with the PTT-Lupus Anticoagulant (LA) test and Standard Target Activated Partial Thromboplastin time (STA-PTT) Automate tests from Diagnostica Stago, and the HemosIL APTT-SP liquid and HemosIL lyophilised silica tests from Instrumentation Laboratories.
Other aPTT assays may be affected as well. There is no evidence that Cimzia therapy has an effect on coagulation in vivo. After patients receive Cimzia, careful attention should be given to interpretation of abnormal coagulation results. Interference with thrombin time (TT) and prothrombin time (PT) assays have not been observed.

Elderly patients
In the clinical trials, there was an apparently higher incidence of infections among subjects ≥ 65 years of age, compared to younger subjects, although experience is limited. Caution should be exercised when treating the elderly patients, and particular attention paid with respect to occurrence of infections.

Effects on Driving

4.7   Effects on ability to drive and use machines

Cimzia may have a minor influence on the ability to drive and use machines. Dizziness (including vertigo, vision disorder and fatigue) may occur following administration of Cimzia (see section 4.8).