Drug Interactions With Certolizumab Pegol

Certain medications can cause potentially dangerous drug interactions with certolizumab pegol. Taking certolizumab pegol with anakinra can increase your risk of getting an infection. If you receive a "live" vaccination during treatment, you could also become infected with the virus or bacteria from the vaccine. To reduce the risk of interactions, tell your healthcare provider about any other drugs you are taking.

Certolizumab Pegol Information

An Overview of Certolizumab Pegol Interactions

Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia^®) can potentially interact with a few other medications. Some of these medicines that may lead to interactions include:

Anakinra (Kineret^®)
"Live" vaccinations, including:

Chickenpox vaccine (varicella vaccine)
FluMist^® (the nasal vaccine for influenza; the injected vaccine is not live)
MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella vaccine)
Polio vaccine
Rotavirus vaccine
Smallpox vaccine
Yellow fever vaccine
BCG vaccine (used in some countries for tuberculosis).

Certolizumab Pegol Drug Interactions Explained

The following sections explain in detail the potentially negative interactions that can occur when certolizumab pegol is combined with any of the drugs listed above.

Anakinra (Kineret)

Taking certolizumab pegol with anakinra can increase your risk of getting an infection. In general, these two medications should not be taken together.

Live Vaccines

Live vaccines are immunizations that contain live viruses or bacteria. If you receive a live vaccine while taking certolizumab pegol, it is possible that you might become infected with the virus or bacteria from the vaccine. Also, certolizumab pegol can make live vaccines less effective. You should not receive live vaccinations while taking certolizumab pegol.

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