adalimumab

Overview

Adalimumab is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody used as an anti-inflammatory biologic agent. It is a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor, meaning it binds TNF-α and blocks its proinflammatory activity. By suppressing TNF-driven immune signaling, adalimumab is used in chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, uveitis, and other autoimmune or autoinflammatory conditions.

In biomedical research, adalimumab is frequently used as a reference anti-TNF therapy, a comparator in comparative effectiveness studies, and a benchmark for biosimilar development and analytical characterization. Recent studies have also examined its pharmacokinetics, therapeutic drug monitoring, safety in real-world cohorts, and mechanistic effects on immune cells such as monocyte-derived macrophages and T helper cell responses.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications have examined adalimumab across diverse inflammatory conditions and treatment contexts, with substantial focus on the emergence and real-world adoption of adalimumab biosimilars. Following market introduction in 2023, studies documented switching and switch-back patterns in patients transitioning to biosimilar formulations in the United States, while population-based research from British Columbia evaluated longer-term utilization patterns after mandatory biosimilar-switching policies. Additional work assessed the clinical impact of multiple switches between adalimumab biosimilar ABP 501 and the reference product in psoriasis.

Comparative efficacy and safety studies positioned adalimumab against both emerging therapies and other biologic agents. Seven-year data from the SELECT-COMPARE trial compared long-term safety and efficacy of upadacitinib with adalimumab in rheumatoid arthritis. Analyses of serious infection risk in psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis populations revealed similar incidence rates between adalimumab and secukinumab at 1 and 3 years, though infliximab demonstrated higher infection risk. Comparative assessments also addressed cardiac safety concerns in inflammatory bowel disease, while a case report documented an association between adalimumab use and development of IgA nephropathy in a rheumatoid arthritis patient, underscoring the importance of renal monitoring during therapy.

Efficacy of adalimumab and its biosimilars was demonstrated across multiple conditions. A 52-week prospective study confirmed safety and effectiveness in pyoderma gangrenosum, while long-term pediatric uveitis data demonstrated sustained benefits with weekly dose escalation in refractory cases. In psoriasis, therapeutic drug monitoring strategies employing trough-level guided dose adjustment achieved a 37.5% improvement in PASI90 response compared to standard care. Mechanistic investigations revealed that adalimumab reprograms M1 macrophages to attenuate Th1/Th17 responses in Behçet's uveitis and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. Safety and effectiveness of adalimumab biosimilar formulations were specifically evaluated in hidradenitis suppurativa.

In pediatric populations, adalimumab remains one of only three biologic therapies approved for inflammatory bowel disease treatment, alongside infliximab and ustekinumab. A narrative review examining the benefit-risk balance of advanced therapies in pediatric IBD highlighted critical gaps between adult and pediatric evidence and advocated for a shift from empirical extrapolation of adult data to precision medicine approaches integrating real-world evidence, predictive modeling, and shared decision-making to optimize therapeutic strategies.

Key Publications

• NEWJul Real-world switching and switch-back patterns among patients transitioning from adalimumab to biosimilars in the United States (February 2023 to August 2025). (Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy, 2026, PMID 42341073): "Biosimilars to adalimumab became available in 2023 and were expected to improve affordability and access, yet real-world evidence on switching after biosimilar initiation remains limited."
• NEWJun Long-term safety and efficacy of upadacitinib compared with adalimumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: 7-year data from the SELECT-COMPARE study. (RMD open, 2026, PMID 42342288): "To assess the safety and efficacy of upadacitinib versus adalimumab through 7 years in the ongoing SELECT-COMPARE study."
• NEWJun Benefit-risk balance of advanced therapies in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: evidence and gaps versus adults. (Inflammatory bowel diseases, 2026, PMID 42334183): "For now, only infliximab, adalimumab, and ustekinumab are approved for the treatment of children with IBD."
• NEWJun Safety and Efficacy of Adalimumab Biosimilar in Psoriasis and Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Clinical Experience. (Saudi medical journal, 2026, PMID 42293717): "To evaluate the clinical experience, safety, and effectiveness of adalimumab biosimilars in patients with psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa."
• NEWApr Comparing the risk of heart failure in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with infliximab versus adalimumab: a retrospective cohort study using a national database. (Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center), 2026, PMID 42269048): "Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents are widely used for inflammatory bowel disease and have well-documented heart failure risk, but comparative cardiac safety remains uncertain."
• Jun Adalimumab Reprograms M1 Macrophages to Attenuate Th1/Th17 Responses in Behçet's Uveitis and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome. (Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2026, PMID 42227805): "To investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of adalimumab on monocyte-derived macrophage polarization and CD4+ T cell responses in patients with Behçet's uveitis (BU) or Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome."
• Jun The Longer-Term Impact of Biosimilar Switching Policies in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease in British Columbia, Canada: A Retrospective, Population-Based Study. (Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 2026, PMID 42157439): "...the longer-term infliximab and adalimumab biosimilar utilization and patterns of continuation/discontinuation of biosimilars."
• May Evaluating Antibody Quality via Simultaneous Size and Charge Measurement with Single Protein Oscillators. (Analytical chemistry, 2026, PMID 42126207): "Here, we demonstrate the application of a label-free single protein oscillator method to simultaneously measure the size and charge of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, including adalimumab, bevacizumab, and panitumumab, and differentiate different aggregation levels of UV-stressed adalimumab."
• May Safety and Effectiveness of Adalimumab for the Treatment of Pyoderma Gangrenosum: A 52-Week Real-World Prospective Observational Study. (Dermatology and therapy, 2026, PMID 42107018): "Adalimumab is a recently approved tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor for PG, for which real-world data remain limited."
• May A novel insulin-like growth factor II-based masking domain for conditional activation of therapeutic antibodies. (mAbs, 2026, PMID 42093183): "In vivo, an MMP2/9-cleavable masked anti-TNFα antibody retained efficacy comparable to adalimumab and infliximab in a collagen antibody-induced arthritis model, yet, unlike the reference antibodies, did not measurably reduce survival in a Listeria monocytogenes infection challenge model at the dose tested."