Section Review Pulmonary-Allergy, Dermatological, Gastrointestinal & Arthritis: The current status and future prospects for biological targeted therapies for rheumatoid arthritis

• DOI: 10.1517/13543784.5.7.819
• Publication Date: 2008-03-03T10:14:15Z
• Authors: I. C. Chikanza; L. Fernandes
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; 3. Good health

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease which leads to progressive joint damage. Currently available therapies, such as myocrisine and sulphasalazine, were developed empirically without much regard for the basic physiological mechanisms of inflammation and are not always effective at controlling the disease. The pathophysiological processes involved in the inflammatory reactions that occur, for example, in RA and during infection, have now been delineated, thus, providing a scientific rationale for the use of biological and/or chemical entities targeted at specific sites of the inflammatory cascade in order to modulate inflammation. The majority of these agents are biological and clinical trials in RA are in progress. Although the results obtained in some of the studies using single agents have been encouraging, the clinical effects have been transient, necessitating repeated dosing. This, along with the requirement for intravenous administration for many of these a...