Rheumatoid arthritis drug may cure condition
A drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can, in some patients, actually cause the condition to disappear, according to research at Melbourne’s Cabrini Hospital. The key is getting patients started on the treatment early in the condition .
The rheumatoid arthritis drug, called Inflixamab, has led to pain and swelling being cut by a third and in some cases, actually put patients into remission. The drug switches off a molecule called TNF, which is found in large amounts in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Doctors say the earlier patients can be treated, the more likely it is the drug will alter the disease, even if patients take them for the relatively short time of a year.
Inflixamab can’t reverse the damage that has been done, so early use is recommended. However, a year’s supply of the medication costs up to $30,000.In Australia, it is only subsidised when a patient’s disease becomes advanced and where other drugs have failed.
