New study investigates why arthritis treatment fails in a third of patients

A new clinical research study has been launched that will explore why the current gold standard biological treatment for people with rheumatoid arthritis does not work in around a third of patients.
Experts are looking at the molecular pathways that determine if people with rheumatoid arthritis will benefit from treatment with anti-TNF (anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha) therapies or not. They hope their findings will open new routes for developing therapies for these people.
Anti-TNF therapies are the current gold standard treatment for people with rheumatoid arthritis who do not respond to more widely used anti-rheumatic drugs such as methotrexate.
But anti-TNF therapies are not effective in around 30% of these patients. At the moment we don’t know why, so the new study may provide vital information that will enable better targeting of anti-TNF therapies and should lead to the development of alternative treatments.
Mark Samuels, who is involved in the work, comments:
“By seeking to understand the biological make-up of patients who respond to anti-TNF treatment, the success of this trial could bring hope to those suffering from the devastating impact of rheumatoid arthritis without treatment options. Providing the right patients with the right drugs at the right time will benefit both patients and the NHS.”

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Image credit: Neal Fowler