Apr 03

New Arthritis Drug Offer Hopes For Sufferers


As you grow older, you often need more help than you used to with everyday tasks, but with modern technology, from bath lifts to stair lifts, you can get back your independence around the home. While there are plenty of various ailments and illnesses that can lead you to needing a bath lift, rheumatoid arthritis can be one of the most debilitating affecting mobility and causing difficulty with daily tasks.

However, this week there has been an exciting announcement which is great news for sufferers of this condition who are looking for a new treatment. Pfizer, a pharmaceutical provider, have now been granted a license in the UK to provide the drug Xeljanz for patients.

The tablet, which is taken twice a day orally, works by inhibiting the signal pathway which contributes to swelling and painful joints. Although there are several medications available in the UK for treatment of arthritis, every patient reacts differently and some work better than others.

Founder and chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society spoke to the Express about how the lives of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers had been completely transformed over the last 40 years, however, noted its limitations: “Not every patient responds to their treatment and people can still experience significant limitations to what they can do and achieve because of their condition so, in spite of fantastic progress in rheumatology, there remains a need for different treatments.”

In the UK, 690,000 people are affected by the condition, the majority of whom are women. It’s a long term condition that doctors try best to manage over time, testing and determining what treatments work best for individuals. You can also have periods where pain is less, and flare-ups where the pain can be worse for an extended period of time.