A trio of new drugs provides significant pain relief for those with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abatacept (Orencia) interferes with T-cell activation, rituximab (Rituxan, MabThera) targets the CD20 antigen, and tocilizumab (Actemra) targets interleukin-6. A report in the June 12, 2007, online edition of The Lancet found that all three medications eased symptoms while slowing continued damage to joints.

In fact, a third of the patients in a rituximab trial had their symptoms subside by more than half. Two of the drugs showed even better results when added to existing methotrexate (Trexall, Rheumatrex) regimens. Forty percent of the patients in trials that combined abatacept or tocilizumab with methotrexate saw their symptoms decline by about 50 percent.

The FDA has approved abatacept and rituximab to combat rheumatoid arthritis. Tocilizumab was in the final stage of clinical trials at press time.

"Many patients who obtain insufficient responses to established and novel treatments indicate the need to search for further therapies," says lead author Josef Smolen, MD, professor of medicine and chairman of the division of rheumatology at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. "The prospects are here."