What is SJIA?

Many people think that arthritis affects only adults. But the truth is that people of all ages, including children, can experience many different types of arthritis. When arthritis does occur in children, it's commonly referred to as juvenile arthritis.

But what is Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA)? And how is it different from other types of juvenile arthritis? To get an idea, let's break down the meaning of SJIA:

Systemic means inflammation that affects the entire body.

Juvenile means that it occurs in a young person, or a group of young people.

Idiopathic means the exact cause of the disease is unknown.

Arthritis means that there's inflammation of one or more joints, which can cause pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of motion.

SJIA (also known as Still's Disease) is a rare and chronic autoinflammatory disease that affects the body's immune system, causing it to attack healthy cells in the body. This can lead to SJIA symptoms including fevers, rash, and painful and/or swollen joints. Children usually develop SJIA at or around 2 years of age. Although the cause of SJIA is unknown, it occurs equally among boys and girls.

About 300,000 kids in the United States have some form of arthritis. SJIA accounts for about 10% of all cases* of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

*Estimate based on data obtained between 2001 and 2004.

If your child is diagnosed with SJIA, ask your child's doctor about ILARIS^®, the once-monthly injectable biologic medicine that's FDA approved for active SJIA in children 2 years of age and older. Find out more about ILARIS and whether ILARIS is right for your child.

Next: Signs and Symptoms

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

ILARIS can cause serious side effects, including increased risk of serious infections. ILARIS can lower the ability of your child's immune system to fight infections. Your healthcare provider should:

test you for tuberculosis (TB) before you receive ILARIS.
monitor you closely for symptoms of TB during treatment with ILARIS
check you for symptoms of any type of infection before, during, and after treatment with ILARIS

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of an infection such as fever, sweats or chills, cough, flu-like symptoms, weight loss, shortness of breath, blood in your phlegm, sores on your body, warm or painful areas on your body, diarrhea or stomach pain, or feeling very tired.

You should not receive ILARIS if you are allergic to canakinumab or any of the ingredients in ILARIS.

Before receiving ILARIS, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

think you have or are being treated for an active infection.
have symptoms of infection.
have a history of infections that keep coming back.
have a history of low white blood cells.
have or have had HIV, Hepatitis B, or Hepatitis C.
are scheduled to receive any immunizations (vaccines). You should not get 'live vaccines' if you are receiving ILARIS.
are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if ILARIS will harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while receiving ILARIS.
are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. It is not known if ILARIS passes into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you will receive ILARIS or breastfeed.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

medicines that affect the immune system.
medicines called interleukin-1 (IL-1) blocking agents such as Kineret^® (anakinra) or Arcalyst^® (rilonacept).
medicines called Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) inhibitors such as Enbrel^® (etanercept), Humira^® (adalimumab), Remicade^® (infliximab), Simponi^® (golimumab), or Cimzia^® (certolizumab pegol).
medicines that affect enzyme metabolism.

Ask your healthcare provider if you are not sure.

ILARIS can cause serious side effects including:

serious infections.
decreased ability of your body to fight infections (immunosuppression). For people treated with medicines that cause immunosuppression like ILARIS, the chances of getting cancer may increase.
allergic reactions. Allergic reactions can happen while receiving ILARIS. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of an allergic reaction: rash, itching and hives, difficulty breathing or swallowing, dizziness, or feeling faint.
risk of infection with live vaccines. You should not get live vaccines if you are receiving ILARIS. Tell your healthcare provider if you are scheduled to receive any vaccines.

The most common side effects of ILARIS when used for treatment of SJIA include: cold symptoms, upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, runny nose, sore throat, urinary tract infection, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (gastroenteritis), stomach pain, and injection site reactions (such as redness, swelling, warmth, or itching).

Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

What is Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS)?

MAS is a syndrome associated with SJIA and some other auto-inflammatory diseases like HIDS/MKD that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if your SJIA symptoms get worse or if you have any of these symptoms of an infection:

a fever lasting longer than 3 days.
a cough that does not go away.
redness in one part of your body.
warm feeling or swelling of your skin.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide.

INDICATION

ILARIS^® (canakinumab) is a prescription medicine injected by your healthcare provider just below the skin (subcutaneous) used to treat Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) in children 2 years of age and older.

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What is SJIA?

About 300,000 kids in the United States have some form of arthritis. SJIA accounts for about 10% of all cases* of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

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