INVESTIGATIONAL AGENTS FOR RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

Agents ranging from simple analgesics to antiinflammatory drugs to pow erful immunomodulators have been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with varying success. Despite the availability of agents tha t are believed to be ''second line'' or ''disease modifying,'' many pa tients either do not respond adequately to available agents or must di scontinue their use because of intolerable or dangerous adverse reacti ons. For this reason, researchers continue to search for more efficaci ous and less toxic agents for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This article describes pharmaceutical agents currently under investigation for use in rheumatoid arthritis, including the antiinflammatory agent s, zileuton and tenidap, and the immunosuppressive agents, leflunomide , mycophenolic acid (RS-61443), tacrolimus (FK-506), sirolimus (rapamy cin), amiprilose (therafectin), cladribine (2- chlorodeoxyadenosine), and azaribine.