Children’s Hospital Study Reviews New Drug for Childhood Arthritis

Following a study at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Alder Hey’s Children’s Hospital, a drug called RoActemra® (tocilizumab) has been specifically licensed as an effective treatment for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA).

The study showed that the medicine improved symptoms by 90% in two-thirds of patients and could alleviate the suffering of up to 2,500 children in Britain currently living with the disease. Until now, the commonly used treatments for sJIA have been anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. ibuprofen or corticosteroids) which may cause severe side effects and often do not slow progression of the disease.

Symptoms of sJIA include:

  • ongoing joint pain,
  • constant high spiking fever,
  • enlargement of internal organs such as the spleen and liver
  • a distinctive salmon-coloured skin rash.
  • One half to two thirds of patients develop a chronic persistent polyarthritis and approximately half of these patients develop significant disability.

Professor of Paediatric Rheumatology, Professor Patricia Woo of Great Ormond Street Hospital comments: “Systemic juvenile arthritis can be a devastating disease. It strikes often very young children, causing chronic illness, pain and disability. It is hugely encouraging to have an effective medicine now available to alleviate symptoms, control disease activity and potentially hold back the worst long-term consequences of the disease.”

Any drug that suppresses inflammation Full medical glossary
Inflammation of one or more joints of the body. Full medical glossary
A disease of long duration generally involving slow changes. Full medical glossary
A group of hormones that are produced by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. Full medical glossary
The raising of the body temperature above norma, which may be accompanied by symptoms such as shivering, headache and sweating. Full medical glossary
Of unknown cause. Full medical glossary
A large abdominal organ that has many important roles including the production of bile and clotting factors, detoxification, and the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Full medical glossary
Inflammation in more than four joints. Full medical glossary
An organ situated on the left side of the abdomen that filters out worn-out red blood cells and other foreign bodies from the bloodstream. Full medical glossary
One of a class of drugs that inhibit cholesterol formation in the liver. Full medical glossary
A tube placed inside a tubular structure in the body, to keep it patent, that is, open. Full medical glossary
Compounds with a common basic structure, which occur naturally in the body. The term may also refer to man-made drugs administered because they act like hormones. Full medical glossary
Affecting the whole body. Full medical glossary