Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs)
Medications that slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis are called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). DMARDs are considered the gold standard for treating rheumatoid arthritis and may be used on their own or in combination with NSAIDs, corticosteroids, or other DMARDs.
The term DMARDs refers to a broad category of drugs that can be divided into two classes: chemical DMARDs; and the newer biologic DMARDs, also called biologics or biologic response modifiers. All DMARDs aim to readjust the overactive immune response that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis, but the main difference between the two classes is that chemical DMARDs affect the larger immune system, while biologics target specific immune cells.
Commonly used chemical DMARDs include:
- Methotrexate (Rheumatrex)
- Leflunomide (Arava)
- Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)
- Sulfasalazine (Azulfidine)
- Azathioprine (Imuran)
- Minocycline (Minocin)
The biologic DMARDs currently approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis are:
- Adalimumab (Humira)
- Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia)
- Etanercept (Enbrel)
- Infliximab (Remicade)
- Abatacept (Orencia)
- Rituximab (Rituxan)
- Anakinra (Kineret)
Early, aggressive treatment with these powerful drugs may prevent damage to joints, bones, and other parts of your body, and they may slow or even halt the progress of rheumatoid arthritis. Intensive treatment with DMARDs requires regular monitoring to check how well the treatment is working and to make adjustments as needed.
Treatments in research: Should you take part in a clinical trial? If you're not responding to treatment, you may want to consider the possibility of taking part in a clinical trial of an experimental therapy. Find out more, and then talk it over with your doctor.
