Centocor, the maker of Remicade, aggressively pushed physicians t...

Centocor, the maker of Remicade, aggressively pushed physicians to set up infusion clinics, write for the drug and promised huge profits.Most of these infusion suites are run by nurses. The drug dose is calculated by a nurse and mixed into the iv bag by a nurse NOT A PHARMACIST. The drug, which can put patients at risk for serious infections and tuberculosis is not even mixed in a sterile IV hood !!! It is mixed out in the open air and exposed to contamination. In the meantime,Centocor downplayed the severity of the side effects. This drug actually caused LUPUS in a patient who subsequently won $19,000,000 in a lawsuit. The drug can greatly increase the risk of lymphomas and blood disorders with fatal outcomes. But the literature does not adequately educate patients and physicians on how to properly monitor the drug! The drug can cause memory problems, visual changes, and increased sed rate and increased c-reactiv protein.