An expensive wonder drug used to battle the most severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis could soon treat NHS patients with a range of diseases after cut-price versions became available. Adalimumab, known by the brand name Humira, dampens the inflammation that causes the joint pain and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis. Adalimumab is a type of drug known as biologics. Several companies have since been granted licences to produce versions of the drug, known as biosimilars. The move is part of a wider NHS cost-cutting drive to prescribe cheaper copies of drugs as soon as they become available.

Source: The Nation April 17, 2021 21:33 UTC