A Paradigm Shift in Rheumatoid Arthritis over the Past Decade

Abstract

Recent advances have improved our understanding of the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the development of new therapeutics, including biological agents, have thus made it possible to strive for remission as a primary goal. Biological agents targeting a specific molecule have powerful functional capabilities, and the introduction of biological therapies has brought about revolutionary progress in RA management, culminating in a paradigm shift. There is clear evidence that a delay in treatment initiation and poor control of disease activity are associated with joint damage progression, so treatment should be started immediately after the diagnosis of RA and adapted according to disease activity as assessed by validated composite measures. In this review, we will summarize the changes in the classification and remission criteria and describe the clinical efficacies of biological agents in RA. We also discuss new promising therapies and propose future perspectives in the rheumatology field.

Stat3 as a potential therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis

“…Current RA treatment often involves treatment with biologic agents, some of which have produced dramatic therapeutic effects 20 ; however, biologic agents are expensive and cost is a concern for many patients. One of our goals was to identify less expensive reagents for RA therapy among previously tested drugs as a way of launching drug(s) for RA therapy in a more timely and less expensive manner.…”

Long-term safety and effectiveness of adalimumab for the treatment of Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: 3-year results from a postmarketing surveillance of 552 patients

“…Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), namely tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor, interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitor and T-cell costimulatory signal inhibitor, were developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other systemic autoimmune diseases. Seven bDMARDs are currently approved in Japan for the treatment of RA and these drugs have different characteristics [1]. The results of postmarketing surveillance (PMS) that examined the safety and effectiveness of infliximab [2], etanercept [3][4][5], adalimumab (ADA) [6], tocilizumab (TCZ) [7,8] and abatacept [9] have been reported.…”

Atherosclerosis in Rheumatology: Old and New Insights

“…The most frequent occurrence of RA is in middle-aged women. It can shorten the life expectancy by up to 2.5 years [89,90]. In addition, there is up to three times higher mortality in RA patients compared to the general population [91].…”