Edinburgh Researchers bring hope to arthritis sufferers

THOUSANDS of arthritis sufferers could benefit from a new pill being developed by scientists at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital.

The researchers are aiming to produce a mass-market tablet which would provide rheumatoid arthritis sufferers with a more powerful treatment than is currently widely available.

The most effective treatment available for patients at the moment is known as anti-TNF therapy. However, the treatment is so expensive only 750 patients in Scotland receive it, and patients have to undergo the discomfort of a series of injections.

The Western General scientists believe they can develop a tablet which would replace the existing anti-TNF therapy.

Dr Rob van't Hof and his team at the hospital's rheumatic diseases unit have been awarded £100,000 to develop the treatment over the next three years.

The grant has come from the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC) which was responsible for pioneering anti-TNF drugs.

The drugs work by blocking the action of TNF (tumour necrosis factor), a molecule responsible for increasing levels of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.

Dr van't Hof said his laboratory had spent the last two years attempting to find a way the medication could be developed as a tablet - something which would save patients repeated trips to hospital for injections.

"We think we have now hit on the first generation of drugs that could be really useful," said the senior scientist.

"We are getting to the stage we could give it as a tablet and that would be extremely useful and a cheaper alternative to current therapy."

The medical scientists are now stepping up their laboratory tests but hope to begin clinical trials in patients within three years. If successful, the new medication could become widely available within the next decade.

"Rheumatoid arthritis is a pretty widespread disease and if we are successful, this would be of benefit to hundreds of thousands of people," said Dr van't Hof.

"You could never claim to have found a cure for rheumatoid arthritis because it is something which would return as soon as you stopped taking the treatment.

"But what we are hoping for is to control the disease and make people have a decent life, a good quality of life, without the pain and without the crippling side effects."

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the lining of the joints become swollen, causing damage to the bone in the joint.

Almost 400,000 people in the UK have the disease and there are more than 6000 sufferers in the Lothians, 175 of which receive anti-TNF treatment. About three times as many women as men are affected.

People with the degenerative disease often begin to complain of stiffness between the ages of 40 and 50. In severe cases, it can impede walking to the extent that victims need to use a wheelchair.

The Arthritis Research Campaign raises funds to promote medical research into the cause, treatment and cure of arthritic conditions and currently funds £3 million of research in Edinburgh.

A spokeswoman said: "Dr van't Hof's research, while in its early stages, has great potential and could lead to more people with rheumatoid arthritis being able to get on to therapies that may transform their lives.

"At the moment the high cost of anti-TNF drugs means that not all patients who need them get them and producing a cheaper alternative could make a real difference to a very large number of people."

Professor of rheumatology at the Western General Hospital, Stuart Ralston, said if Dr van't Hof's work was successful it would be welcomed.

He said: "Anti-TNF therapy is a very effective treatment, probably the most effective, but the production costs are high. Obviously in the NHS this is an issue so we have to limit its use to the most severe patients. We think this is a fantastic project and certainly worth pursuing."

Wonder drug 'gave me my life back'

FORMER factory worker Isabella Inglis was wheelchair-bound and in excruciating pain because of arthritis until doctors gave her what she believes is a wonder drug.

Miraculously, after spending nine months in hospital, unable to move without help, she can now walk again and has an active social life.

The grandmother said thanks to weekly injections with anti-TNF drug therapy, she can now walk again and enjoy an active social life.

She said: "I have got my life back. It's amazing. I am still sore but I can walk and I can go out and do so much more than I have been able to do in the past. It's brilliant."

Mrs Inglis, 68, of Bo'ness, was finally able to leave hospital five years ago after doctors at the Western General Hospital decided she would benefit from the treatment.

The first signs of rheumatoid arthritis set in when she was only 28 and from there her condition degenerated rapidly. Since then, she has endured an ankle and two knee replacements.

Recalling life before the treatment, she said: "I just couldn't move and I was so sore I had to get lifted in and out of bed, showered, washed and dressed.

"I couldn't do anything for myself. I was so sore that anytime anyone touched me I would cry - it was excruciating.

"I am still sore but now I can put up with it and I can take painkillers. I can go to the bingo and I no longer have to rely so much on my husband. I am so lucky because I had a good doctor and I have got my life back."