Astellas Pharma and UCB have introduced Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) rheumatoid arthritis therapy in Japan.
The PEGylated Fc-free anti-TNF medication is indicated for adult rheumatoid arthritis patients who showed poor response to conservative treatment.
TNF-alpha factor, for which Cimzia has high affinity, plays a major role in the onset and exacerbation of inflammatory diseases.
Cimzia 400mg s.c. is recommended for adult patients at zero, two and four weeks subsequent to 200mg every two weeks while 400mg s.c. for every four weeks can be considered for maintenance dosing.
At present Cimzia is available in the form of a prefilled syringe in more than 30 countries across Europe and the US.
Astellas and UCB Japan will jointly conduct promotion activities of the product in the region.
