ABSTRACT

Tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNF's) are used in the treatment of rheumatologic disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis. The utilization of TNFi's has improved the prognosis of rheumatologic disorders. Patients should be treated by those drugs for a long time, most probably their lifelong. Ongoing evaluation of the long-term safety profile of these TNFi's is essential to ensure their effective and appropriate use. Experience to date with TNFi's has highlighted that they are associated with an increased risk of serious bacterial infections, tuberculosis and opportunistic infections, and may be associated with malignancies. Other potential adverse events considered important are demyelinating disorders and lupus-like syndromes. Certolizumab pegol is a pegylated Fc-free TNF inhibitor approved for adult patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to rheumatoid arthritis, it has demonstrated that certolizumab pegol has been effective in patients with Crohn's disease, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. In this review, the update safety data will be summarized obtained from trials in rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis and psoriatic patients treated with certolizumab.