title: Update on biologicals for treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The development of biologics has markedly changed the treatment of JIA. Complete control of the disease and remission has today become the main goal of treatment preventing long-term damage and disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review gives an overview of the current treatment options using biologics in JIA. The biologic drugs are discussed on the basis of recent clinical trials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While JIA is a group of heterogeneous diseases, differences in their biology turned out to influence treatment success with different biologics. TNF inhibitors emerged to be the most commonly used biologics for the treatment of JIA. First they were successful for the treatment of rheumatoid factor positive and negative polyarticular JIA. TNF inhibitors have also been studied in patients with enthesitis-related arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and extended olioarthritis, and approval of at least etanercept is expected. Second-line biologics are abatacept and tocilizumab. For systemic onset JIA, tocilizumab, and the IL-1 inhibitors anakinra and canakinumab have been successfully studied. In the treatment of JIA, biologics have emerged as potent drugs to control the disease. New advancements will be crucial for further improvement of treatment options in JIA.
authors.affiliation: Asklepios Clinic Sankt Augustin, Department of Pediatrics, Arnold-Janssen Str. 29, 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany. G.Horneff@Asklepios.com
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Horneff
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001688:Biological Products