New treatments bring hope to arthritis patients, says charity
The outlook for the 600,000 people in the UK who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis is improving as better and more effective drug treatments are developed, according to a leading medical research charity.
The Arthritis Research Campaign is spearheading a major research initiative into rheumatoid arthritis by currently pumping more than £6m into research into the disease in centres throughout the country.
The charity is highlighting the significance of new and existing treatments during its Research Week, June 5-12.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a crippling, inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system attacks the joints, causing inflammation, pain, stiffness and intense fatigue.
One of the most exciting developments of recent years is the expected arrival of a new class of drugs in the UK by early 2000 which could vastly improve the lives of sufferers. The ARC played a major role in the early pioneering research into the drugs, based at its flagship centre, the Kennedy Institute in west London.
The drugs, infliximab (Remicade™) and etanercept (Enbrel™) have been proven to reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in a number of large-scale clinical trials carried out over several years in the UK, Europe and the US.
They are expected to have a significant impact on people for whom existing therapies do not work – even patients in advanced stages of the disease.
"Anti-TNF drugs are a huge advance in the treatment of RA, and could offer relief for many thousands of people," said Professor Tiny Maini, director of the Kennedy Institute. "We can now control rheumatoid arthritis much better than in the past thanks to better-targeted and more effective drugs, and the ARC's support in funding arthritis research is vital."
Other significant ARC work into rheumatoid arthritis includes funding the UK arm of a European trial aimed at improving drug therapy for children with arthritis, based at Great Ormond Street Hospital; and a major programme at Leeds General Infirmary aimed at treating patients with very early inflammatory arthritis, through aggressive treatment, combining targeted drug therapies and state-of-the-art imaging techniques.
- Members of the public would who like more information on rheumatoid arthritis and the new anti-TNF drugs should write to the Arthritis Research Campaign, PO Box 177, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S41 7TQ.
Editor's Note: The ARC is also holding its big annual fundraising event, National Tea Week, on June 5-12, and is encouraging groups and clubs to hold sponsored tea parties to raise money for its research. It hopes to raise £50,000.
