Biologics in Rheumatology: New Developments, Clinical Uses and Health Implication

Significant progress has recently been achieved in the treatment of many autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) with the introduction of biologic treatments, which target specific molecules implicated in their pathogenesis. In the past two decades, these developments have substantially improved the long-term outcome of patients with ARD, both in terms of their survival rates and quality of life. The principal biologic approaches in clinical use include biologic agents that (a) interfere with cytokine function, (b) inhibit the “co-stimulatory signal” required for T cell activation and © deplete the circulatory B cells. The first rheumatic condition that benefitted from the introduction of the biologic agents was

rheumatoid arthritis, and following the great therapeutic success of this approach, the majority were subsequently tested in other autoimmune diseases.