Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with a recombinant human tumor necrosis factor receptor (p75)-Fc fusion protein

A fusion protein consisting of the p75 receptor for tumor necrosis factor and a portion of human IgG1 (TNFR:Fc) appears to provide substantial symptom relief in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. TNFR:Fc blocks the binding of tumor necrosis factor, which is an inflammatory chemical produced in joints. Researchers randomly gave 180 patients subcutaneous injections of one of three doses of TNFR:Fc or placebo twice a week for three months. The highest dose of TNFR:Fc led to improvements in 20% or more symptoms compared to 14% in the placebo group. It reduced the number of tender or swollen joints 61% compared to 25% in the placebo group.