A new one time treatment is being tested by scientists in Great
Britain which could potentially “switch off” rheumatoid
arthritis. The researchers are theorizing that the drug will
turn off the immune system response that is the cause of the
debilitating disease. This may put the RA patient into remission
for years, or even potentially for life. The trials, led by
Clinical Rheumatology Professor John Isaacs at Newcastle, are
scheduled to start next month and will initially involve 40
patients. The drug being tested is called otelixizumab which was
used in the past in stronger doses to prevent rejection of
organs by transplant patients. Otelixizumab targets T-cells,
white blood cells that are part of the body’s immune system
which are key to the process in RA. The researchers believe that
if they can “switch off” the signals from the T-cells they can
halt RA at the source. The trial participants will receive a
one-off dose of otelixizumab, administered intravenously for
between two and five hours a day over fi