Study: Anakinra Improves Function of Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers

People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) achieved significant improvement in their ability to function by taking the drug anakinra, according to a study reported in the February issue of the Journal of Rheumatology.

Anakinra is a genetically engineered medication that works by blocking the action of a molecule called interleukin-1, which is produced in excess in RA sufferers.

Researchers evaluated the benefit of anakinra on the functional status of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who took maximally tolerated doses of methotrexate (MTX).

"In patients with persistence of RA despite MTX therapy, treatment with anakinra results in a rapid improvement in functional status as measured by the HAQ-DI (Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index)," concluded the researchers.

HAQ-DI is a validated instrument that reflects the patients physical
function and health related quality of life.

The study involved 419 patients who received a placebo or anakinra in varying doses once daily for 24 weeks in addition to the 15 to 25 milligrams of MTX a week that they were already taking.

The researchers measured the functional status - dressing, grooming, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reach, grip and activities - of the participants at the beginning of the study and every four weeks thereafter with the HAQ-DI.

The patients receiving anakinra experienced rapid and sizeable improvements in their HAQ-DI scores depending on the dose they were given, according to the researchers. Patients receiving the two highest doses of anakinra experienced significant improvements in their HAQ-DI by the fourth week in comparison to patients receiving a placebo.

Lead researcher Dr. Stanley B. Cohen, of St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas, told Medical Week that Anakinra and other biologics have allowed patients to continue to work who otherwise would have been disabled.

In less severely affected patients, Cohen said Anakinra allowed them the ability to participate in avocational activities such as sports and travel that would not have been possible with conventional treatment.

Cohen said RA patients needing more agressive treatment should ask their doctors about biologics like Anakina, noting that about two-thirds of RA patients require more aggressive treatment than MTX, the most commonly used first-line treatment.

Other sources: Journal of Rheumatology 2003;30:225-31