Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with infliximab

Up to now more than 600 patients with rheumatoid arthritis are treated in clinical trials with infliximab, a monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor alpha. The results of the ATTRACT-trial show like previous studies, that the combination of infliximab and methotrexate leads to a significant improvement of clinical symptoms or to a remission of the disease. The analysis of radiological data after one year demonstrates that infliximab arrests the progression of bone erosion and joint space narrowing in methotrexate-refractory patients. Therefore infliximab is a new therapeutic option, which can stop the joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis. In Germany infliximab (Remicade(R)) was approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis at the beginning of June 2000.