Biologics for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis [Paperback]

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the available biologictherapies whilst comparing them to standard disease modifyinganti-rheumatic drugs, and discusses how best to determine which therapyis most appropriate for an individual patient in the framework ofcurrent guidelines. Biologics for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis is an up-to-date and concise practical guide to the latest therapeutic developments in this field. This book is an invaluable source of topical information for all rheumatologists and health care professionals treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Disease overview.- General treatment aspects.- Overview of biologic therapies.- Cytokine inhibitors.- B-cell directed therapy.- T-cell directed therapy.- Novel biologics and small molecules with biologic-like effects.- Strategies for the optimal use of biologic agents in rheumatoid arthritis.- Considerations for special patient populations.- Conclusions and future outlook

Professor Ronald F van Vollenhoven is Chief of the Unit for Clinical Therapy Research,Inflammatory Diseases (ClinTRID) at the Karolinska Institute, and of theClinical Trials Unit Rheumatology at the Karolinska University Hospital. Hereceived his MD and PhD degrees from the University of Leiden in TheNetherlands. After graduating in 1984 he pursuedimmunology research at Cornell Medical College in New York, followed by aresidency (specialty training) in internal medicine at the State University ofNew York at Stony Brook, and a fellowship in rheumatology at StanfordUniversity in Palo Alto following which he received American Board of InternalMedicine certification in both internal medicine and rheumatology. From 1993 to1998 Professor van Vollenhoven held a faculty appointment as AssistantProfessor of Medicine in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology atStanford University, and from 1995 he was the Medical Services Chief andFellowship Director in that division. In 1998 PlcO