Larsson P, Bratt J, Harju A, van Vollenhoven R, Klareskog L
Reumatologiska kliniken, Karolinska sjukhuset, Stockholm.
Lakartidningen. 2001 Feb 21;98(8):828-31.
TNF-alpha is a proinflammatory cytokine. It has a key function in the inflammatory cascade both systemically and locally in the inflamed joints of patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Treatment with two different "biological" drugs that block the proinflammatory capacity of TNF-alpha has recently been approved by the European drug authorities. This paper discusses experience gained in clinical trials and during the first year of treatment in Sweden using infliximab (anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibodies) and etanercept (recombinant TNF-alpha receptor fusion protein).
