CIMZIA® (certolizumab pegol) is the only Fc-free PEGylated TNF inhibitor
CIMZIA is a monovalent TNF inhibitor monoclonal antibody fragment. It neutralizes TNF-alpha at low concentrations with a high affinity.1,6,7

Certolizumab pegol does not contain a fragment crystallizable (Fc) region, which is normally present in a complete antibody and, therefore, does not fix complement or cause antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. It does not induce apoptosis in vitro in human peripheral blood-derived monocytes or lymphocytes, nor does certolizumab pegol induce neutrophil degranulation.1
PEGylation changes the physical and chemical properties of the biomedical molecule6
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Increases bioavailability of CIMZIA8,9
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Extends half-life of the antigen binding fragment1,7
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Increases drug stability and retention time, thereby allowing a reduced dosing frequency6,7
Clinical relevance of in vitro and in vivo data is unknown.