New smart drugs to combat arthritis
Three new so-called smart drugs may be able to reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis – a debilitating joint disease for huge numbers of people of all ages – by around 50%.
Trials have shown that the three drugs – MabThera (rituximab), Orencia (abatacept) and tocilizumab – can have a marked impact on the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis including joint pain, stiffness, and swelling.
The disease occurs when the immune system attacks the joints and the new drugs consist of molecules that target different parts of the immune system.
The research showed that all three medications slowed progression of the disease and reduced its symptoms. They all achieved their best results when used in combination with the standard treatment, methotrexate.
A co-author of a review in the online edition of The Lancet, Paul Emery, said that “they are strikingly effective and they work on different targets from the existing drugs. That’s the joy of it”.
The chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society of Britain, Ailsa Bosworth, said that “it means we have some choices. That’s very important if you are 22 and facing a lifetime of the disease”.
