ADVANCES IN ANTIARTHRITIC THERAPEUTICS

The number of drugs used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has increased over the past 10-20 years, but there is still an urgent need for more specific modalities with reduced side effects. The currently available drugs treat the symptoms but do not affect the underlying d isease. In spite of side effects, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are still the first-line therapy, but more physicians are using disea se-modifying antirheumatic drugs earlier in the disease and combinatio n therapies are also being investigated. New therapies that focus on s pecific molecular or cellular targets are now in clinical trials and h old promise for the future treatment of this disease.