[Biologicals: a new therapeutic approach for inflammatory diseases]

The pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases is determined by a malfunction of the immune system. Up to now therapies have not been able to cure but to interfere in a more or less specific way with the immune function. The great increase of knowledge in immunology made it possible to develop new medications, which alter the immune system in a specific way. The advantage is the relative simple way of developing new medications by using monoclonal antibodies against specific antigens and testing the hypothesis in animal model and in small but clear phase II trials. Biologicals are similar or identical to human proteins and rarely have side effects, which exceed their interference with the immune system. Because of the clinical success of anti-TNF-therapies and the increased knowledge about immune mechanisms, biologicals are now used in various fields of medicine. This paper reviews data from biologicals that are either already approved or in an advanced stage of clinical testing.