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Infliximab (brand name Remicade) is a drug used to treat autoimmune disorders. Infliximab is known as a "chimeric monoclonal antibody" (the term "chimeric" refers to the use of both mouse (murine) and human components of the drug i.e. murine binding Fab domains and human constant Fc domains). The drug blocks the action of the pleiotropic proinflammatory TNFα (tumour necrosis factor alpha) by binding to it and preventing it from signaling the receptors for TNFα on the surface of cells. TNFα is one of the key cytokines that triggers and sustains the inflammation response. Remicade was developed by Junming Le and Jan Vilcek at New York University School of Medicine and developed by Centocor, a biotechnology company later purchased by Johnson & Johnson.
Infliximab has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of psoriasis, Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis and ulcerative colitis. According to the manufacturer's websites, there are more patients world-wide who have been treated with Remicade (the first commercially available TNF antagonist) than Enbrel and Humira combined.
Remicade is administered by intravenous infusion, typically at 6-8 week intervals, and at a clinic or hospital. It cannot be administered orally, because the digestive system would destroy the drug.
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