[New therapies in rheumatoid arthritis]

In the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis great progress was made by new disease modifying antirheumatic drugs such as leflunomide, the use of combination therapies and especially the introduction of the TNF blockers. These agents are produced by the means of genetic engineering and allow excellent suppression of the disease activity and inhibition of radiographic progression. Their major advantages are the fast response and good overall tolerability. Because of the involved risk for infections and the high costs TNF blocking agents should be reserved for patients who respond poorly to conventional disease modifying antirheumatic drugs or do not tolerate them.