Safety of TNF-α inhibitors: A real-world study based on the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System Database

As a common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the adverse reactions of TNF-α inhibitors (TNFis) in practical application have garnered attention. This study aims to investigate the adverse drug events (ADEs) associated with TNFi in RA patients as reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System, to offer insights for clinical use. Cases related to RA and primarily involving TNFi were extracted from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database and compared by gender stratification. Screening was conducted based on reporting odds ratio and information component to identify positive ADEs for different TNFis and evaluate common and unique ADEs among various TNFis. There are 4 common ADEs among TNFis, including pulmonary tuberculosis, infection, hypersensitivity, and herpes zoster, as described in the package inserts. However, each TNFi has unique positive ADEs. Adalimumab has 63 unique positive ADEs, including lower respiratory tract inflammation, systemic lupus erythematosus rash, vascular dementia, ovarian neoplasm, adhesion, sarcoma, coccidioidomycosis, etc. Golimumab has 6 unique positive ADEs, including pneumonia cryptococcal, device deployment issue, pneumonia bacterial, polyneuropathy, device malfunction, device issue, etc; certolizumab has 24 unique positive ADEs, including maternal exposure before pregnancy, premature rupture of membranes, exposure via breast milk, staphylococcal sepsis, erysipelas, low birth weight baby, herpes virus infection, premature delivery, etc; etanercept has 180 unique positive ADEs, including joint destruction, chondrolysis, finger deformity, ankle deformity, joint warmth, etc; infliximab has 60 unique positive ADEs, including Hodgkin’s disease, metastatic neoplasm, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, etc. Although the aforementioned 5 TNFis share common ADEs such as herpes zoster, clinicians must exercise caution when selecting specific medications, especially for RA patients concurrently suffering from malignancies. The analysis indicates that infliximab is associated with 60 unique positive ADEs, including Hodgkin’s disease, metastatic neoplasm, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; therefore, these patients should use infliximab with greater caution. Similarly, certolizumab should be used with increased caution in pregnant and postpartum women.