IL‐6 inhibition in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

The armentarium of potential therapeutics for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has grown with the identification of relevant disease molecules. Of these, biologic therapeutics targeting tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐alpha), particularly when used in combination with oral methotrexate, have enjoyed notable success in suppressing inflammation and markedly inhibiting the progression of structural damage previously thought to be an unavoidable characteristic of RA. 1,2 However, despite the unprecedented clinical and commercial successes of TNF inhibitors, their availability is restricted by high costs and the failure of a substantial proportion of patients to demonstrate significant clinical responses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.