The recent approval of a first-in-class biologic drug for rheumatoid arthritis, the proven safety of oral contraceptives in women with lupus, and development of the first new drug for gout in 40 years are among the breakthroughs in the Arthritis Foundation third annual top 10 significant arthritis advances of 2005.

Other big news in the past year – the withdrawal of two popular arthritis pain medications and more stringent warnings on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – may have confused the public and shaken its confidence in arthritis therapies.  However, new understanding of the importance of personal lifestyle choices in relieving pain and novel treatments in the pipeline provide more hope than ever in the year ahead for people of all ages suffering from the most serious and debilitating forms of arthritis and related diseases.

“Advances made in 2005 promise a better quality of life for patients with arthritis and related diseases in the year ahead and hint at breakthroughs that are possible in the future,” said John H. Klippel, M.D., president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation.  “As the nation ages and the number of people with arthritis increases, advances in research, public health and public policy will contribute to the prevention, control and cure of arthritis – the nation’s number one cause of disability.”

Abatacept, the first biologic in a class of co-stimulation modulators for RA, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on December 23, 2005, making another treatment option available for patients in the year ahead.  With an early 2006 decision expected on another biologic, rituximab, arthritis patients have more treatment options on the horizon than ever before and more hope for therapeutic approaches that target the basic causes of their disease, which reduce both disease symptoms and the risk of disability.

The Top 10 Advances Include:

• New biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis

• First new drug for gout in 40 years

• Historic Medicare program expansion

• Lifestyle choices reduce pain and improve function

• Improvements in osteoporosis patient compliance and quality of life

• New drug for lupus nephritis

• Evidence-based treatment recommendations for juvenile arthritis

• Greater understanding of arthritis drug risks

• Osteoporosis drug delays osteoarthritis joint destruction

• Discovery of key regulator of autoimmunity

To develop its third annual list of the top 10 arthritis advances, the Arthritis Foundation sought input from clinicians with expertise in various forms of arthritis, scientists from a wide variety of research disciplines, and organizations with an interest in arthritis and related diseases.
 
Read summaries of the Top 10 Arthritis Advances in 2005.