Certolizumab pegol

Certolizumab pegol is a pegylated monoclonal antibody against the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). It is formed with a humanized Fab fragment of 50 kDa, from an IgG 1 isotype, fused to a 40 kDa polyethylene glycol moiety replacing the Fc antibody region. The absence of the Fc region was ideated to prevent complement fixation and antibody-mediated cytotoxicity as well as to markedly increase its half-life.

Certolizumab does not require glycosylation for active function and hence, its production is significantly more affordable when compared to other existing TNF-alpha therapies as it can be done directly in bacterial hosts such as E. coli. It was developed and manufactured by UCB Pharma, first FDA approved in 2008 and updated for a new indication on March 28, 2019.

Certolizumab pegol has been approved for several different conditions listed below:

In Canada, certolizumab pegol is additionally approved in combination with methotrexate for the symptomatic treatment, including major clinical response, and for the reduction of joint damage in adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.

Inflammation is a biological response against a potential threat. This response can be normal but in certain conditions, the immune system can attack the body's normal cells or tissues which causes an abnormal inflammation. TNF-alpha has been identified as a key regulator of the inflammatory response. The signaling cascades of this inflammatory mediator can produce a wide range of reactions including cell death, survival, differentiation, proliferation and migration.