These treatments are currently marketed as Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira. They are each a slightly different type of TNF (tumor necrosis factor) blocker. As we all know, TNF is a pro-inflammatory cytokine. These medications (which must be given as an injection or as an intravenous infusion) work by completely blocking the action of TNF. This provides great relief to many RA sufferers. For some, it even stops the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.
This may seem to be a perfect treatment! But . . . A major downside to this type of treatment (an issue that we discussed on Monday) is that our immune systems manufacture TNF for a reason. By blocking TNF completely, the immune systems of the RA patients are compromised and the patients are therefore highly susceptible to infectious diseases. I suspect that research in this area will continue until a treatment is found that inhibits progression of RA without compromising the immune system in the process.
I think that if we can localize and restrict a treatment to some specific area of the body, we can accomplish a lot more. The issue is that our body is designed as a highway for many compounds, and is therefore not conducive to boundaries to contain processes or mediators. The exception: granulomas, they're natural but they have some consequences depending on where they develop.
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