EXPERT INTERVIEW - The role of IL-6 antagonist - a new option in RA management

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From Medscape Rheumatology

More: American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting

Posted 05 Dec 2008

Helen Fosam, PhD

The Role of IL-6 Antagonist -- A New Option in RA Management: An

Expert Interview With Allan Gibofsky, MD, JD

Editor's Note:

The clinical picture of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the result of a

complex cascade involving T cells, B cells, antigen-presenting cells,

and a complex set of costimulatory signals that lead to the production

of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor

(TNF)-alpha, interleukins, and other mediators. Recent treatment

options have targeted different components of the intracellular

cascade, for example, therapies targeting B cells[1]; costimulatory

modulators[2]; and more recently, development of novel

second-generation TNF-alpha inhibitors.[3] Despite these treatment

advances with proinflammatory cytokines, some patients continue to

show disease progression.

Interleukin (IL)-6 is one of the major players in the RA inflammatory

cascade. A growing body of evidence has suggested that the effects of

IL-6 are pleiotropic in nature, with manifestations beyond joint

inflammations and destruction, and are perhaps responsible for the

systemic manifestations seen in RA. Thus, recent therapeutic efforts

have focused on agents that target this cytokine.[4] A humanized

antihuman IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, the first in its class,

has been demonstrated to competitively block the binding of IL-6 to

its receptor. In this interview, Helen Fosam, PhD, Medscape

Rheumatology, spoke with Allan Gibofsky, MD, JD, about the data

presented at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2008 Annual

Scientific Meeting, supporting the efficacy and safety of current and

emerging biologic agents for RA.

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Read the interview here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/584156

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