Anti-TNF the inflammatory arthritis treatment revolution

What have we achieved?

Research funded by Versus Arthritis lead to the development of a new class of drugs, known as biologics, which have transformed the treatment of inflammatory arthritis and improved the lives of almost 2 million people worldwide. Initially approved to treat only patients with severe disease, in June 2021 NICE announced they were extending the approval to also include moderately active rheumatoid arthritis, enabling thousands more people to benefit from these treatments.

“这是难以置信的. Within a week I could feel a huge difference and as the days went on, I was feeling better and better.”- Ian, who received biologic drug treatment for psoriatic arthritis.

What is inflammatory arthritis?

炎性关节炎comprises a group of conditions which affect your immune system and can cause pain, stiffness, and joint damage. These conditions can affect your whole body and can happen at any age. They require specialist treatment to prevent long-term pain and disability. The three most common forms arerheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis (includingankylosing spondylitis), and银屑病关节炎.

在过去的二十年中,发生了重大进展,改变了炎症性关节炎的治疗。抗TNF疗法和新生物制剂等疗法的发展对炎性关节炎患者的生活产生了显着影响。

下载完整的“什么是炎症性关节炎?”信息图(PDF, 124 KB).

The numbers of people who have inflammatory arthritis in the UK. Effects on the quality of life infographic

反TNF发现时间表

主要的研究赠款在1980年代由与关节炎相比*导致了一种新的用于炎性关节炎的药物,称为生beplay体育怎么下载物疾病改良抗毛发药物(BDMARDS),生物疗法或生物学,特别是抗TNF药物。

*beplay体育怎么下载与关节炎的前身关节炎研究英国

Download the full 'Anti-TNF: History of discovering anti-TNF drugs, a timeline' infographic(PDF, 145 KB).

反TNF发现时间表

Why was anti-TNF a game changer?

Conventionaldisease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs(dmards),例如甲状腺素,是唯一在生物疗法(生物DMARD)(如抗TNF)之前获得的疾病疗法,并且对所有人都不适用。

与众不同止痛药non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs), DMARDs treat the disease itself rather than just reducing the pain and stiffness caused by the disease.

Biological therapies are currently only given to people who have already tried other treatments appropriate to their condition and not responded well to them. They are often given in combination with a conventional DMARD such as methotrexate.

关于两种类型的DMARDS的信息图

How does anti-TNF therapy work?

How does anti-TNF therapy work?

Ian's story

伊恩穿着跑步的衣服站在街上

Ian is 52, happily married and a dad and grandad to three children and two grandchildren.

在他40多岁的时候,他被诊断出银屑病关节炎这对他的生活产生了巨大影响,但是大约五年前,他的最低点被开了抗TNF药物,这使事情变得更好。

“I’ve suffered with psoriasis since my teens. I was so embarrassed of it”

我曾经在运动时穿着履带式底部穿着履带裤来掩饰它。而且我也很酸,尤其是在运动之后。

然后在40多岁时,我被诊断出患有银屑病关节炎。当您意识到自己的东西永远不会消失时,这是一种空洞的感觉。

“Although it’s an invisible condition to most, the impact is huge, and it changed my life massively.”

大多数人认为理所当然的简单事情,例如打开罐子和穿衣服变得越来越有问题。这没有提及对我的心理健康的影响。

我在甲氨蝶呤在那个阶段,这帮助牛皮癣在我的头皮上,但我的联合问题仍在继续,在2014年圣诞节,我是有史以来最低的。当我在圣诞节前夕离开工作时,我回头了,在我的脑海中说再见。我看不到我能回去的任何方法。

“Not long after I’d reached breaking point, I was prescribed the anti-TNF drugadalimumab。”

实在太棒了。一周之内,我会感到巨大的差异,随着日子的发展,我感觉越来越好。我的关节中的炎症正在消退。

在2015年2月底,我开始使用沙发至5K,这是一个为期10周的计划,但我花了大约15周的时间。生活在改变生活。我参加了更多比赛,并加入了一个跑步俱乐部。

这极大地帮助了我,我感到鼓舞并形成了惊人的友谊。跑步还帮助我减轻了很多体重,这减轻了我的关节压力。这也改善了我的心理健康。

在2008年,我的目标是步行100码,几乎十年后,我跑了26.2英里。我原定于2020年参加伦敦马拉松比赛,并希望明年能做到这一点。beplay体育怎么下载

Izzie的故事

Izzie克劳夫站在海滩上

Izzie was diagnosed withjuvenile idiopathic arthritiswhen she was nine years old.

现在23岁,她从事抗TNF药物已有十多年了,对她的差异非常出色。

“Before I started anti-TNF, I was on a combination of anti-inflammatories and甲氨蝶呤。”

Both had heavy side effects, particularly the methotrexate, which made me extremely nauseous and exhausted. I also took tablets to try to manage these side effects, which meant that at age ten I was taking over 20 tablets per week.

This took a significant toll on my physical and mental wellbeing. I stopped growing for three years, becoming anaemic, underweight, and withdrawn. I used to come home from school and not be able to do anything but lie on the sofa.

无法理解或表达自己的感受,我在不得不服用甲氨蝶呤的那一天变得非常焦虑。同时,关节炎仍然从我的下肢传播到我的手腕和手指,右手造成永久性损害。

“Starting anti-TNF aged 11 completely changed my life.”

对我的关节炎是如此有效,以至于现在是我服用的唯一药物。这确实使我更容易感染,但是我没有任何日常副作用。

没有抗TNF药物,我认为我的生活将完全不同。这使我能够变得足够健康,可以完成学业,大学毕业,在跆拳道赢得黑带,并拥有青少年应应​​有的社交经历。作为一个成年人,它可以帮助我保持足够的工作,建立人际关系并享受伦敦生活。

I know that my medication won’t cure my arthritis or make it go away completely, but being on anti-TNFs has given me the power to take control of my condition and my life.

戴维·伊森伯格教授的观点

Professor David Isenberg in the lab

David is a consultant rheumatologist who has been working in the field for over 30 years.

He’s witnessed the remarkable difference that anti-TNF drugs and newer biologic drugs have made on the lives of people with arthritis.

“这确实令人惊讶,代表了一个令人难以置信的变化时代。”

It’s given us a range of control over diseases with severe impacts that we just didn’t have before, and the difference for those diagnosed now is incredible.

重要的是要记住这些新药含有而不是治愈炎症性关节炎,而不是每个人,但对于许多人来说,他们的生活质量已经恢复。

“One story really sticks in my mind.”

大约20年前,我被要求接管一个患有静脉关节炎的学生,影响了他的脚,膝盖和脚踝。

He couldn’t take甲氨蝶呤由于引起肝脏异常,所以两年来我尝试了他类固醇和other standard treatments, but to no avail.

Then the first biologic,infliximab, came along, we tried it but unfortunately it didn't help.

“When Enbrel, the next anti-TNF came along, we decided it was worth trying, despite the lack of success with infliximab.”

The patient came back to see me after six weeks, and as he walked into the clinic I could see he was doing something I’d never seen him do during the two years I’d been treating him...he was smiling and told me, ‘It’s gone; it doesn’t hurt anymore!’.

I remember feeling a little tingle at the back of my neck when I phoned the lab for his ESR results, a test which measures inflammation in the body.

他的阅读一直是超过一百(没有rmal is 20) and they told me it was down to 12. I was so shocked I asked if it was a lab error and they reassured it wasn't!

I felt then that something in my career had truly changed.