title: New pharmacological strategies in rheumatic diseases.
abstract: Targeting the pathogenic pathway of chronic inflammation represents an unmet challenge for controlling disease activity, preventing functional disability, and maintaining an adequate quality of life in patients with rheumatic diseases. Abatacept, a novel molecule that inhibits co-stimulation signal, induces an inhibitory effect on the T-cells. This will further interfere with the activity of several cell lines, leading to the normalization of the immune response. In the latest years, abatacept has been extensively investigated in studies of rheumatoid arthritis for which it was recently approved as a second line biologic treatment in Romania. This review presents the clinical efficacy of abatacept in several rheumatic diseases and highlights the safety profile of this biological agent.Abbreviations: ACR = American College of Rheumatology, ADR = Adverse drug reaction, APC = antigen presenting cell, ApS = psoriatic arthritis, CRP = C reactive protein, CTLA-4 = Cytotoxic T-Cell Lymphocyte Antigen-4, DAS = Disease activity score, DMARDs = Disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, EMA = European Medicine Agency, EULAR = European League Against Rheumatism, FDA = Food and Drugs Administration, HBV = Hepatitis B virus, JIA = Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, LDA = low disease activity (LDA), MRI = magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), MTX = methotrexate, RA = rheumatoid arthritis, RCT = randomized controlled trial, SS = Sjogren's syndrome, TCR = T cell receptor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Clinical Pharmacology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania ; Department of Rheumatology, Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Schiotis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Clinical Pharmacology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Buzoianu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Mureșanu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suciu
mesh_terms: D000069594:Abatacept / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000188:drug therapy; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000188:drug therapy; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen; C556706:CTLA4 protein, human; D000069594:Abatacept; D008727:Methotrexate
keywords: abatacept; clinical efficacy; rheumatic diseases; rheumatoid arthritis; safety