3. April 2005 21:54
Members of the second most important family of drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can cause serious dermatological conditions in a quarter of patients under treatment, reveals a study published today in the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy.
Last year saw the withdrawal of frontline anti-arthritis drug Vioxx, which belongs to the cox-2 inhibitors family, when it was revealed that it poses a significant risk of heart attack and stroke. Similar findings were reported for other cox-2 inhibitors, although they are still on the market. This study shows that another family of anti-arthritis drugs, Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) blocking agents, trigger skin conditions in 25% of patients undergoing treatment. TNF-alpha blocking agents are used to halt the process of joint destruction in patients with severe arthritis conditions.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these
terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Subscribe