Disease-Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease, with a worldwide prevalence of about 1%. Targeting the synovial membrane, cartilage and bone, untreated RA leads to joint destruction, disability and increased mortality. Although the total incidence of this disease is low, the level of ill health and economic burden is significant with the patients often partially or totally unemployed. Generally, the patients require long-term drug treatment and non-pharmacological approaches such as physiotherapy and psychosocial support. There are no reliably curative or disease-remitting therapies, although considerable gains have been made utilizing biologic therapies and novel small molecules to target specific CYTOKINES (TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF) and INTERLEUKINS such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-12/IL-23 and IL-17), cellular subsets (B CELLS, TH17 CELLS) and immune regulatory steps in RA (JANUS KINASE (JAK) pathway).