British Scientists have developed a drug so potent that just one injection can provide arthritis sufferers with months of relief. The drug has been made from the human protein BiP, which improves arthritic wellness by mobilising your body’s immune system, helping to stop the disease in its tracks.
Osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects the wellbeing of up to four million people in Britain, and so as doctors say that the first human trials of the drug are showing promise as a treatment for brittle bone disease, Ailsa Bosworth, chief executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, said, ‘This is a hugely exciting step forward.’ She added, ‘Three-quarters of people are of working age when diagnosed and so the prospect of a new and cost-effective treatment which, in a single dose, can keep people working and getting on with day-to-day life for longer is very welcome news, not only for people with RA but for the NHS and society as a whole.’
Researchers from King’s College London and doctors from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust will carry out the two-year trial. Dr Valerie Corrigall, of King’s College, commented, ‘This trial is the culmination of 15 years of work. It’s very exciting to be at this stage. Using a patient’s immune system to help protect against the disease is a new approach to treatment. As well as being a very promising therapy, we’ve purposefully designed BiP to be more cost-effective than biological therapies which work well but are extremely expensive.’
So what exactly is BiP? This protein forms part of your body’s normal response to inflammation, and in the joints of people who have had RA for a long time, it is found in too small a quantity to have a beneficial effect. However, BiP in a drug might not only be effective, but as it is naturally produced in humans there shouldn’t be any negative side effects.
According to Professor Gabriel Panayi, professor emeritus of rheumatology at King’s College London, ‘If BiP works as we expect then a single dose should be sufficient to put patients into remission for months. The most important thing is that our patients will have a better quality of life. As a bonus, they should need fewer appointments which will free up valuable NHS resources.’
Comments are closed.