In recent years, the typical treatments for rheumatoid arthritis relied on combination NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and aspirin. These drugs reduce swelling and alleviate pain but do little to change the course of the disease. Another class of treatments relied on disease-modifying, antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as methotrexate and sulfasalazine. DMARDs work to slow inflammation and can, in many cases, alter the course of the disease. Because of their adverse effects, most doctors reserved these more powerful drugs for patients who failed to respond to other therapies. Now, many physicians are using DMARDs early and aggressively in the hope of slowing disease progression and preventing damage to joints and internal organs.

The most recently approved treatment regimen for rheumatoid arthritis is one that combines the genetically engineered biological drug Remicade (infliximab) with the drug methotrexate. (Not all patients with rheumatoid arthritis can tolerate or respond to methotrexate alone, a standard treatment for the disease.) Remicade is the second in a new class of drugs known as biologic response modifiers, which bind to and block the action of a naturally occurring protein called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), believed to play a role in joint inflammation and damage. Elevated levels of TNF are found in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Remicade, which is administered intravenously by a health-care professional in a two-hour outpatient procedure, was approved by FDA in November 1999 to reduce the signs and symptoms from rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have not experienced significant relief from methotrexate alone.

Approved in November 1998, Enbrel (etanercept) is the first biologic response modifier to receive FDA approval for patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. Taken twice weekly by injection, Enbrel was shown to decrease pain and morning stiffness and improve joint swelling and tenderness. In June 2000, the drug's uses were expanded to include delaying structural damage.

One health professional states that Enbrel is an exciting breakthrough because it helps a majority of patients who have not responded to any of the other commonly used therapies. Although it is injected, the treatment can be administered at home. In addition, Enbrel has been shown to be effective for children with the juvenile form of rheumatoid arthritis. In clinical trials, Enbrel was generally well tolerated, and one of the most common side effects was an injection site reaction.

Both Remicade and Enbrel show promise in treating rheumatoid arthritis, although the long-term risks and benefits of these drugs are unknown.

The first non-drug alternative for adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis and longstanding disease who have failed or cannot tolerate DMARDs was approved by FDA in March 1999. The Prosorba column, which was initially approved in 1987 to treat an immune blood disorder, is a single-use medical device, about the size of a coffee mug, containing a material that binds antibodies and antigen-antibody complexes.

In a two-hour process performed in a hospital or specialized treatment center, a patient's blood is removed and passed through a machine that separates the blood cells from the plasma (the liquid portion of the blood). The plasma is then passed through the Prosorba column, recombined with the blood cells, and returned to the patient. Although this filtering process is believed to remove proteins that may inadvertently attack the joint cells, the mechanism of action of the Prosorba column is not well understood. The treatment is given once a week for 12 weeks. The most common side effects include joint pain and/or swelling, fatigue, hypotension (low blood pressure), and anemia.

Arava (leflunomide) is the first oral arthritis treatment approved for slowing the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Although its effects are similar to those of methotrexate, this drug works by a different chemical mechanism, blocking an enzyme in certain lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system) and thereby retarding the progression of the disease.

Arava is not a cure, however, and studies have suggested that the drug may cause birth defects. Therefore, its labeling carries a special warning for pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and those who want to become pregnant.

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