A new study released Tuesday, three new drugs; rituximab, abatacept and tocilizumab are on the cutting edge of science. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory joint disease that attacks the joints, producing harsh pain, stiffness and swelling. Rituximab and abatacept have already received approval to treat of patients who suffer from this painful illness. Tocilizumab is still in phase III clinical trials testing.

According to HealthDay, Traditional treatments for rheumatoid arthritis include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which include the widely used Methotrexate. But only DMARDs, and to a certain extent glucocorticoids, can slow or halt rheumatoid arthritis' inflammatory and destructive disease processes, according to background information in the study.

Rituxamab targets the CD20 antigen in certain cells, leading to a reduction in the CD20 cell count. Abatacept interferes with T-cell activation response, believed to play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis. Tocilizumab targets interleukin-6, which activates many cell populations.

All three forms of treatment have been found to improve signs of arthritis and symptoms, improve patients' physical function and health status, and delay progression of joint damage. All have all been found affective as both stand alone treatments and when used in conjunction with alternate remedies. Although still unapproved, intitial trials of rituximad found that the drug reduced arthritis symptoms by 50 percent for 1/3 of its test group.

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