Hayashi Taichi, Sumida Takayuki
Field of Clinical Immunology, Doctoral Program in Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba.
Nihon Rinsho. 2009 Mar;67(3):588-92.
Recent advance of targeted therapies including monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins has allowed effective strategies in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. And now, TNF inhibitors are broadly used for rheumatoid arthritis and prevent the disease progression. Meanwhile, B cell targeted therapies and anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody treatment are not only used for second line biological agents for rheumatoid arthritis, but also expected for the treatments of various autoimmune diseases. Recent year, some of novel small molecules, which inhibit the signal transduction of various surface receptors of immune cells, are in clinical trials. These drugs will be a breakthrough for the treatment of some autoimmune disorders.