MRA can cause serious side effects including:
1.
Serious Infections.
ACTEMRA is a medicine that affects your immune system. ACTEMRA can lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections. Some people have serious infections while taking ACTEMRA, including tuberculosis (TB), and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that can spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections.
Your doctor should test you for TB before starting ACTEMRA.
Your doctor should monitor you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with ACTEMRA.
You should not start taking ACTEMRA if you have any kind of infection unless your healthcare provider says it is okay.
Before starting ACTEMRA, tell your healthcare provider if you:
think you have an infection or have symptoms of an infection, with or without a fever, such as:
sweating or chills
muscle aches
cough
shortness of breath
blood in phlegm
weight loss
warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body
diarrhea or stomach pain
burning when you urinate or urinating more often than normal
feel very tired
are being treated for an infection
get a lot of infections or have infections that keep coming back
have diabetes, HIV, or a weak immune system. People with these conditions have a higher chance for infections.
have TB, or have been in close contact with someone with TB
live or have lived, or have traveled to certain parts of the country (such as the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Southwest) where there is an increased chance for getting certain kinds of fungal infections (histoplasmosis, coccidiomycosis, or blastomycosis). These infections may happen or become more severe if you use ACTEMRA. Ask your healthcare provider, if you do not know if you have lived in an area where these infections are common.
have or have had hepatitis B
After starting ACTEMRA, call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of an infection. ACTEMRA can make you more likely to get infections or make worse any infection that you have.
2.
Tears (perforation) of the stomach or intestines.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have had diverticulitis (inflammation in parts of the large intestine) or ulcers in your stomach or intestines. Some people taking ACTEMRA get tears in their stomach or intestine. This happens most often in people who also take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, or methotrexate.
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have fever and stomach-area pain that does not go away, and a change in your bowel habits.
3.
Changes in certain laboratory test results.
Your healthcare provider should do blood tests before you start receiving ACTEMRA, after the first 4 to 8 weeks for rheumatoid arthritis (after which tests should be done every 3 months), every 4 to 8 weeks for PJIA and every 2 to 4 weeks for SJIA during treatment to check for the following side effects of ACTEMRA:
low neutrophil count. Neutrophils are white blood cells that help the body fight off bacterial infections.
low platelet count. Platelets are blood cells that help with blood clotting and stop bleeding.
increase in certain liver function tests.
You should not receive ACTEMRA if your neutrophil or platelet counts are too low or your liver function tests are too high.
Your healthcare provider may stop your ACTEMRA treatment for a period of time or change your dose of medicine if needed because of changes in |
