Novel, non-antigen-specific therapeutic approaches to autoimmune/inflammatory diseases.

Anti-TNF therapy has made a major impact on the treatment of inflammatory arthritides and Crohn's disease. It leads to prompt and prolonged clinical response, even in patients refractory to conventional therapy. Moreover, the progression of joint damage noted in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate was prevented by an anti-TNF-alpha antibody, suggesting a genuine disease-modifying potential of TNF-alpha blockade.