2006 EULAR congress sees wealth of new drugs for the autoimmune disease market

This year's European League Against Rheumatism congress, held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, saw presentations from both global pharmaceutical firms and leading research groups, working in the field of rheumatology and autoimmune disease. Topics discussed at the meeting ranged from the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment techniques to the increasing trend towards the use of cytokine-targeting biologics in the treatment of autoimmune conditions.

HI survey identifies treatment shortcomings

One highlight was the results of a Harris Interactive survey of rheumatologists. The study, which was sponsored by US drug major Schering-Plough, revealed that 85% of those questioned recognized rapidly-progressing rheumatoid arthritis as a distinct form of the condition, placing identified patients in a separate treatment category. Despite this, only one third of those who responded expressed confidence in their ability to recognize and treat patients with rapid RA. The survey also showed that a majority of the experts questioned believed that patients with ankylosing spondylitis and one or more non-joint manifestations have a poorer prognosis and quality of life than those suffering axial or peripheral AS only, yet one in three respondents said they did not screen such patients for other inflammatory diseases.