Common biological agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis mainly include TNF antagonists (e.g., infliximab), IL-6 receptor antagonists (e.g., tolizumab), and anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (e.g., rituximab).
1.TNF antagonists: mainly including infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab. They can reduce the release of IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8, which can relieve inflammatory joint symptoms and prevent joint destruction. Its main adverse reaction is infection.
2. IL-6 receptor antagonists: e.g., tolizumab, which inhibits IL-6-mediated interactions in cells structurally expressing IL-6R; it can be used in patients who are ineffective or have poor efficacy to chemosynthetic classes of therapy. Adverse effects include hemocytopenia, elevated blood cholesterol, and susceptibility to infection.
3. Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody: such as rituximab, which is a human-mouse chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that temporarily removes the CD20+ B cell subset. Common adverse reactions are thrombocytopenia, fever, rash, mild hypotension, and asymptomatic ventricular preterm contractions.
All of the above drugs should be used under the guidance of a physician, and it is recommended that patients with rheumatoid arthritis go to the rheumatology and immunology department of a regular hospital in a timely manner and follow the doctor’s instructions for standardized treatment, and do not use drugs on their own.