Anakinra
anakinra
Anakinra is a recombinant human interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) composed of 153 amino acid residues. Unlike native human IL-1Ra, anakinra has an additional methionine residue at the amino terminus. This drug binds to the IL-1 receptor, competing with and inhibiting the activity of IL-1 alpha and beta. Anakinra is indicated for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients 18 years of age or older who have failed one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), as well as the treatment of neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID) and deficiency of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (DIRA). Since IL-1 has an important role in inflammation and immunological responses, anakinra is also used for the off-label treatment of inflammatory diseases. Anakinra is produced using the E. Coli bacterial expression system. On November 14, 2001, it was approved by the FDA for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It was later approved for the treatment of NOMID and DIRA on December 21, 2012, and December 18, 2020, respectively. A few studies have evaluated the use of anakinra for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). On November 8, 2022, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) of anakinra for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients who are at risk of progressing to severe respiratory failure. (DrugBank)