I learned pharmacology about 10 years ago. If you are one of few doctors that studied pharmacology many years ago, you might find some drugs that being asked in MRCP that you never come across before. I will talk about a few new drugs that are rather common and popular in MRCP that you might have not studied during your medical school.
The first drug is Infliximab ( Trade Name: Remicade) Infliximab is known as ‘ chimeric monoclonal antibody’ that blocks tumour necrosis factor alfa ( TNF alfa). You might come across the word ‘chimera’ in movies such as ‘Relic’ which means monster.
In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monster, depicted as an animal with the head of a lion, the body of a she-goat, and the tail of a dragon (sometimes it has multiple heads).
In medicine, a chimera is an animal that has two or more different populations of genetically distinct cells that originated in different zygotes.
The first thing you need to know about Infliximab is its indications. Infliximab has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of psoriasis, pediatric Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis.
You must know that infiximab is classified as immunosuppressive drug, therefore always watch out for infections ( such as tuberculosis- always asked in MRCP. Always screen for possible latent TB before starting the drug!), blood disorders ( bone marrow suppression), cancers ( such as lymphoma) and allergic reaction.
Be careful if you want to start Infliximab in patients with heart failure and chronic viral hepatitis due to possibility of reactivation!
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