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27/10/2008
Injection Offers New Hope For Arthritis Sufferers
A monthly injection could offer new hope to hundreds of thousands of arthritis sufferers, it has been revealed.
An annual course of the antibody drug tocilizumab - which may be available on the NHS from as early as January - could stop the disease in its tracks, and could cost as little as £4,000.
While nothing can be done to reverse the damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the new injection can prevent it from getting worse.
Members of the medical profession, have described the development as "exciting" and "dramatic".
Around 487,000 people in the UK suffer from the auto-immune condition, RA, which affects the immune system and causes the body to attack its own joints. The condition also causes painful swelling and stiffness in joints, as well as bone damage and permanent disability.
Professor Paul Emery from the University of Leeds said: "Results of this pivotal study convincingly demonstrate that tocilizumab can effectively and rapidly diminish the painful and debilitating effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
"These trial findings are significant because it is critical to stop joint damage as quickly as possible to avoid joint deformity and to help people with RA maintain their quality of life."
Ailsa Bosworth, chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), also said: "We are encouraged by these findings, particularly as the treatment shows such promise of achieving remission, the ultimate goal for people with this cruel and debilitating disease.
"It presents new hope for the hundreds and thousands of people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis in the UK."
(JM)
An annual course of the antibody drug tocilizumab - which may be available on the NHS from as early as January - could stop the disease in its tracks, and could cost as little as £4,000.
While nothing can be done to reverse the damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the new injection can prevent it from getting worse.
Members of the medical profession, have described the development as "exciting" and "dramatic".
Around 487,000 people in the UK suffer from the auto-immune condition, RA, which affects the immune system and causes the body to attack its own joints. The condition also causes painful swelling and stiffness in joints, as well as bone damage and permanent disability.
Professor Paul Emery from the University of Leeds said: "Results of this pivotal study convincingly demonstrate that tocilizumab can effectively and rapidly diminish the painful and debilitating effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
"These trial findings are significant because it is critical to stop joint damage as quickly as possible to avoid joint deformity and to help people with RA maintain their quality of life."
Ailsa Bosworth, chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), also said: "We are encouraged by these findings, particularly as the treatment shows such promise of achieving remission, the ultimate goal for people with this cruel and debilitating disease.
"It presents new hope for the hundreds and thousands of people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis in the UK."
(JM)
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'Inadequacies' leave arthritis patients in pain, says survey
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