Loading
If this is the first time anyone has visited this substance, we may be fetching live data from TGA Product Information, PBS, and state framework sources — that can take up to a minute. Cached substances load in a second or two.
Golimumab, sold under the brand name Simponi, is a human monoclonal antibody which is used as an immunosuppressive medication. Golimumab targets tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), a pro-inflammatory molecule and hence is a TNF inhibitor. Reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, interleukin (IL)-6, intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM)-1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) demonstrates golimumab as an effective modulator of inflammatory markers and bone metabolism. Golimumab is given via subcutaneous injection.
Read the full article on WikipediaAnkylosing spondylitis Clinical criteria: Treatment Phase: Initial treatment - Initial 1 (new patient) The condition must be either radiologically (plain X-ray) confirmed: (i) Grade II bilateral sacroiliitis; (ii) Grade III unilateral sacroiliitis, AND Patient must not have received PBS-subsidised treatment with a biological medicine for this condition, AND Patient must have at least 2 of the following: (i) low back pain and stiffness for 3 or more months that is relieved by exercise but not by rest; (ii) limitation of motion of the lumbar spine in the sagittal and the frontal planes as determined by a score of at least 1 on each of the lumbar flexion and lumbar side flexion measurements of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI); (iii) limitation of chest expansion relative to normal values for age and gender, AND Patient must have failed to achieve an adequate response following treatment with at least 2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), whilst completing an appropriate exercise program, for a total period of 3 months, AND Patient must not receive more than 16 weeks of treatment under this restriction. Population criteria: Patient must be at least 18 years of age. Treatment criteria: Must be treated by a rheumatologist; OR Must be treated by a clinical immunologist with expertise in the management of ankylosing spondylitis. The application must include details of the NSAIDs trialled, their doses and duration of treatment. If the NSAID dose is less than the maximum recommended dose in the relevant TGA-approved Product Information, the application must include the reason a higher dose cannot be used. If treatment with NSAIDs is contraindicated according to the relevant TGA-approved Product Information, the application must provide details of the contraindication. If intolerance to NSAID treatment develops during the relevant period of use which is of a severity to necessitate permanent treatment withdrawal, the application must provide details of the nature and severity of this intolerance. The following criteria indicate failure to achieve an adequate response and must be demonstrated at the time of the initial application: (a) a Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) of at least 4 on a 0-10 scale; and (b) an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) greater than 25 mm per hour or a C-reactive protein (CRP) level greater than 10 mg per L. The baseline BASDAI score and ESR or CRP level must be determined at the completion of the 3 month NSAID and exercise trial, but prior to ceasing NSAID treatment. All measurements must be no more than 4 weeks old at the time of initial application. If the above requirement to demonstrate an elevated ESR or CRP cannot be met, the application must state the reason this criterion cannot be satisfied. The authority application must be made in writing and must include: (1) a completed authority prescription form; and (2) a completed authority application form relevant to the indication and treatment phase (the latest version is located on the website specified in the Administrative Advice). The following must be provided at the time of application and documented in the patient's medical records: (i) details (name of the radiology report provider, date of the radiology report and unique identifying number/code that links report to the individual patient) of the radiological report confirming Grade II bilateral sacroiliitis or Grade III unilateral sacroiliitis; and (ii) a baseline BASDAI score; and (iii) a completed Exercise Program Self Certification Form included in the supporting information form; and (iv) baseline ESR and/or CRP level. An assessment of a patient's response to this initial course of treatment must be conducted following a minimum of 12 weeks of therapy and no later than 4 weeks prior the completion of this course of treatment. Where a response assessment is not conducted within these timeframes, the patient will be deemed to have failed to respond to treatment with this drug. If a patient fails to demonstrate a response to treatment with this drug they will not be eligible to receive further PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug for this condition within this treatment cycle. Serious adverse reaction of a severity resulting in the necessity for permanent withdrawal of treatment is not considered as a treatment failure.
Severe psoriatic arthritis Clinical criteria: Treatment Phase: Initial treatment - Initial 1 (new patient) Treatment criteria: Must be treated by a rheumatologist; OR Must be treated by a clinical immunologist with expertise in the management of psoriatic arthritis. Patient must not have received PBS-subsidised treatment with a biological medicine for this condition, AND Patient must have failed to achieve an adequate response to methotrexate at a dose of at least 20 mg weekly for a minimum period of 3 months, AND Patient must have failed to achieve an adequate response to sulfasalazine at a dose of at least 2 g per day for a minimum period of 3 months; OR Patient must have failed to achieve an adequate response to leflunomide at a dose of up to 20 mg daily for a minimum period of 3 months, AND Patient must not receive more than 16 weeks of treatment under this restriction. Population criteria: Patient must be aged 18 years or older. Where treatment with methotrexate, sulfasalazine or leflunomide is contraindicated according to the relevant TGA-approved Product Information, details must be provided at the time of application. Where intolerance to treatment with methotrexate, sulfasalazine or leflunomide developed during the relevant period of use, which was of a severity to necessitate permanent treatment withdrawal, details of the degree of this toxicity must be provided at the time of application. The following initiation criteria indicate failure to achieve an adequate response and must be demonstrated in all patients at the time of the initial application: an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) greater than 25 mm per hour or a C-reactive protein (CRP) level greater than 15 mg per L; and either (a) an active joint count of at least 20 active (swollen and tender) joints; or (b) at least 4 active joints from the following list of major joints: (i) elbow, wrist, knee and/or ankle (assessed as swollen and tender); and/or (ii) shoulder and/or hip (assessed as pain in passive movement and restriction of passive movement, where pain and limitation of movement are due to active disease and not irreversible damage such as joint destruction or bony overgrowth). If the above requirement to demonstrate an elevated ESR or CRP cannot be met, the application must state the reasons why this criterion cannot be satisfied. The authority application must be made in writing and must include: (1) a completed authority prescription form(s); and (2) a completed Severe Psoriatic Arthritis PBS Authority Application - Supporting Information Form. An assessment of a patient's response to an initial course of treatment must be conducted following a minimum of 12 weeks of therapy. An application for the continuing treatment must be accompanied with the assessment of response and submitted to the Department of Human Services no later than 4 weeks from the date of completion of the most recent course of treatment. This will enable ongoing treatment for those who meet the continuing restriction for PBS-subsidised treatment. Where the response assessment is not submitted within this timeframe, the patient will be deemed to have failed to respond to treatment with this drug. If a patient fails to demonstrate a response to treatment with this drug they will not be eligible to receive further PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug for this condition. Serious adverse reaction of a severity resulting in the necessity for permanent withdrawal of treatment is not considered as a treatment failure.
Severe active rheumatoid arthritis Clinical criteria: Treatment Phase: Initial treatment - Initial 1 (new patient) Treatment criteria: Must be treated by a rheumatologist; OR Must be treated by a clinical immunologist with expertise in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Patient must not have received PBS-subsidised treatment with a biological medicine for this condition, AND Patient must have failed, in the 24 months immediately prior to the date of the application, to achieve an adequate response to a trial of at least 6 months of intensive treatment with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) which must include at least 3 months continuous treatment with at least 2 DMARDs, one of which must be methotrexate at a dose of at least 20 mg weekly plus one of the following: (i) hydroxychloroquine at a dose of at least 200 mg daily; (ii) leflunomide at a dose of at least 10 mg daily; (iii) sulfasalazine at a dose of at least 2 g daily; OR Patient must have failed, in the 24 months immediately prior to the date of the application, to achieve an adequate response to a trial of at least 6 months of intensive treatment with DMARDs which, if methotrexate is contraindicated according to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)-approved Product Information/cannot be tolerated at a 20 mg weekly dose, must include at least 3 months continuous treatment with at least 2 of the following DMARDs: (i) hydroxychloroquine at a dose of at least 200 mg daily; (ii) leflunomide at a dose of at least 10 mg daily; (iii) sulfasalazine at a dose of at least 2 g daily; OR Patient must have failed, in the 24 months immediately prior to the date of the application, to achieve an adequate response to a trial of at least 3 months of continuous treatment with a DMARD where 2 of: (i) hydroxychloroquine, (ii) leflunomide, (iii) sulfasalazine, are contraindicated according to the relevant TGA-approved Product Information/cannot be tolerated at the doses specified above in addition to having a contraindication or intolerance to methotrexate: the remaining tolerated DMARD must be trialled at a minimum dose as mentioned above; OR Patient must have a contraindication/severe intolerance to each of: (i) methotrexate, (ii) hydroxychloroquine, (iii) leflunomide, (iv) sulfasalazine; in such cases, provide details for each of the contraindications/severe intolerances claimed in the authority application, AND Patient must not receive more than 16 weeks of treatment under this restriction, AND The treatment must be given concomitantly with methotrexate at a dose of at least 7.5 mg weekly. Population criteria: Patient must be at least 18 years of age. If methotrexate is contraindicated according to the TGA-approved product information or cannot be tolerated at a 20 mg weekly dose, the application must include details of the contraindication or intolerance including severity to methotrexate. The maximum tolerated dose of methotrexate must be documented in the application, if applicable. The application must include details of the DMARDs trialled, their doses and duration of treatment, and all relevant contraindications and/or intolerances including severity. The requirement to trial at least 2 DMARDs for periods of at least 3 months each can be met using single agents sequentially or by using one or more combinations of DMARDs, however the time on treatment must be at least 6 months. If the requirement to trial 6 months of intensive DMARD therapy with at least 2 DMARDs cannot be met because of contraindications and/or intolerances of a severity necessitating permanent treatment withdrawal to all of the DMARDs specified above, details of the contraindication or intolerance including severity and dose for each DMARD must be provided in the authority application. The following criteria indicate failure to achieve an adequate response to DMARD treatment and must be demonstrated in all patients at the time of the initial application: an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) greater than 25 mm per hour and/or a C-reactive protein (CRP) level greater than 15 mg per L; AND either (a) a total active joint count of at least 20 active (swollen and tender) joints; or (b) at least 4 active joints from the following list of major joints: (i) elbow, wrist, knee and/or ankle (assessed as swollen and tender); and/or (ii) shoulder and/or hip (assessed as pain in passive movement and restriction of passive movement, where pain and limitation of movement are due to active disease and not irreversible damage such as joint destruction or bony overgrowth). The joint count and ESR and/or CRP must be determined at the completion of the 6 month intensive DMARD trial, but prior to ceasing DMARD therapy. All measures must be no more than 4 weeks old at the time of initial application. If the requirement to demonstrate an elevated ESR or CRP cannot be met, the application must state the reasons why this criterion cannot be satisfied. Treatment with prednisolone dosed at 7.5 mg or higher daily (or equivalent) or a parenteral steroid within the past month (intramuscular or intravenous methylprednisolone or equivalent) is an acceptable reason. Where the baseline active joint count is based on total active joints (i.e. more than 20 active joints), response must be determined according to the reduction in the total number of active joints. Where the baseline is determined on total number of major joints, the response must be determined on the total number of major joints. If only an ESR or CRP level is provided with the initial application, the same marker must be used to determine response. The authority application must be made in writing and must include: (1) a completed authority prescription form; and (2) a completed authority application form relevant to the indication and treatment phase (the latest version is located on the website specified in the Administrative Advice). An assessment of a patient's response to this initial course of treatment must be conducted following a minimum of 12 weeks of therapy and no later than 4 weeks prior the completion of this course of treatment. Where a response assessment is not conducted within the required timeframe, the patient will be deemed to have failed to respond to treatment with this drug, unless the patient has experienced a serious adverse reaction of a severity resulting in the necessity for permanent withdrawal of treatment. If a patient fails to demonstrate a response to treatment with this drug under this restriction they will not be eligible to receive further PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug for this condition.
Moderate to severe ulcerative colitis Clinical criteria: Treatment Phase: Continuing treatment Treatment criteria: Must be treated by a gastroenterologist (code 87); OR Must be treated by a consultant physician [internal medicine specialising in gastroenterology (code 81)]; OR Must be treated by a consultant physician [general medicine specialising in gastroenterology (code 82)]. Patient must have previously received PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug for this condition, AND Patient must have demonstrated or sustained an adequate response to treatment by having a partial Mayo clinic score less than or equal to 2, with no subscore greater than 1 while receiving treatment with this drug. Population criteria: Patient must be aged 18 years or older. Patients who have failed to maintain a partial Mayo clinic score less than or equal to 2, with no subscore greater than 1 with continuing treatment with this drug, will not be eligible to receive further PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug. Patients are eligible to receive continuing treatment with this drug in courses of up to 24 weeks providing they continue to sustain a response. At the time of the authority application, medical practitioners should request sufficient quantity for up to 24 weeks of treatment under this restriction. An application for the continuing treatment must be accompanied with the assessment of response following a minimum of 12 weeks of therapy with this drug and submitted to the Department of Human Services no later than 4 weeks from the date of completion of treatment. This will enable ongoing treatment for those who meet the continuing restriction for PBS-subsidised treatment. Where the response assessment is not submitted within this timeframe, the patient will be deemed to have failed to respond to treatment with this drug. If a patient fails to demonstrate a response to treatment with this drug they will not be eligible to receive further PBS-subsidised treatment with this drug for this condition. Serious adverse reaction of a severity resulting in the necessity for permanent withdrawal of treatment is not considered as a treatment failure. A patient may re-trial this drug after a minimum of 5 years have elapsed between the date the last prescription for a PBS-subsidised biological medicine was approved in this cycle and the date of the first application under a new cycle under the Initial 3 treatment restriction.
Non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis Clinical criteria: Treatment Phase: Continuing treatment Patient must have received this drug as their most recent course of PBS-subsidised biological medicine treatment for this condition, AND Patient must have demonstrated an adequate response to treatment with this drug for this condition, AND The treatment must not exceed a maximum of 24 weeks with this drug per authorised course under this restriction. Treatment criteria: Must be treated by a rheumatologist; OR Must be treated by a clinical immunologist with expertise in the management of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. An adequate response to therapy with this biological medicine is defined as a reduction from baseline in the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score by 2 or more units (on a scale of 0-10) and 1 of the following: (a) a CRP measurement no greater than 10 mg per L; or (b) a CRP measurement reduced by at least 20% from baseline. If the requirement to demonstrate an elevated CRP level could not be met under an initial treatment restriction, a reduction in the BASDAI score from baseline will suffice for the purposes of administering this continuing treatment restriction. The patient remains eligible to receive continuing treatment with the same biological medicine in courses of up to 24 weeks providing they continue to sustain an adequate response. It is recommended that a patient be reviewed in the month prior to completing their current course of treatment.
Working under the parallel aged-care framework? Aged-care equivalent →