Table 2 Properties of approved biologics.
| Biologic agent | Infliximab | Etanercept | Adalimumab | Rituximab | Abatacept | Anakinra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary name | Remicade | Enbrel | Humira | Rituxan | Orencia | Kineret |
| Mabthera | ||||||
| Construct | Chimeric mAb to | TNFα receptor | Fully humanised | Chimeric mAb to | CTLA4Ig | IL1 receptor antagonist |
| TNFα | fusion protein | mAb to TNFα | CD20 | |||
| Mode of action | Binds to soluble and | Binds to soluble | Binds to soluble | Binds to CD20 | Blocks T cell co‐ | Binds to IL1 receptor |
| membrane bound | TNFα and TNFβ | and membrane | molecule on B cells | stimulation via | ||
| TNFα | bound TNFα | CD28‐CD80/86 | ||||
| Half‐life | 9 days | 4 days | 14 days | Variable | 13 days | 6 h |
| Dose | 3–5 mg/kg of body | 25 mg twice | 40 mg every second | 1000 mg on day 1 | 10 mg/kg of body | 100 mg daily |
| weight at 0, 2 and | weekly | week. For incomplete | and day 15 | weight at 0, 2 and | ||
| 6 weeks, and then | response, dose may | 4 weeks, and then | ||||
| 8 weekly. Dose | be given weekly | monthly thereafter | ||||
| can be increased | Repeated every 6– | |||||
| to 10 mg/kg or | 9 months | |||||
| frequency of | ||||||
| injection increased | ||||||
| Administration | Intravenous | Subcutaneous | Subcutaneous | Intravenous | Intravenous | Subcutaneous |
CTLA4, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen‐4; IL, interleukin; mAb, monoclonal antibody; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.