title: Rheumatoid arthritis: new developments in biologic therapy.
abstract: With the development of biologic agents our therapeutic approach to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory diseases in general, has dramatically changed within the last few years. Biologic technically means a substance as the product of biologic system and functionally as an agent that targets specific biologic molecule. Recently a number of endogenous antigens have been identified and these are known to activate CD4+ T cells leading to production of cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6] and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and immunoglobulins like rheumatoid factor and expression of osteoprotegerin ligands that stimulate osteogenesis leading to joint distruction. Rheumatologists and other practitioners are facing a remarkable wave of new therapies for RA like infliximab, adalimumab, atlizumab, etanercept, anakinra, prosorbacolumn, anti-IL-6 agents, IL-10 and inferferon-r. To date combination therapy of methotrexate plus a single biologic has been widely studied with synergistic effect. Etanercept and infliximab are two biologics available in India.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Department of General Medicine, Government Medical College, Jammu 180016.
authors.forename: Annil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahajan
authors.forename: Rashmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Ruchi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khajuria
authors.forename: Ghulam Hussain
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Bardi
authors.forename: Bhuvneshwar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000068879:Adalimumab; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D001691:Biological Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D000068800:Etanercept; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069285:Infliximab; D007375:Interleukin-1; D016753:Interleukin-10; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007375:Interleukin-1; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D000069285:Infliximab; D000068879:Adalimumab; D000068800:Etanercept