Novel, non-antigen-specific therapeutic approaches to autoimmune/inflammatory diseases

Anti-TNF therapy has made a major impact on the treatment of inflammatory arthritides and Crohnʹs disease. It leads to prompt and prolonged clinical response, even in patients refractory to conventional therapy. Moreover, the progression of joint damage noted in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate was prevented by an anti-TNF-α antibody, suggesting a genuine disease-modifying potential of TNF-α blockade.