Rheumatoid arthritis: Biological therapy other than anti-TNF.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases and is characterized by synovitis that causes joint damage. The introduction of biologic agents has made it possible to induce remission in many patients and inhibit joint damage. Activated T cells in RA patients proliferate and stimulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 6 that play important roles in RA pathogenesis. The most widely used biologic agents indicated for RA inhibit the activity of TNF. However, newly developed biologic drugs targeting different pathways are now currently part of the therapeutic options to induce remission in patients with RA. The present review focuses on biologic agents directed at molecular targets different from TNF and addresses the possible advantages of these drugs.