Jab to cure arthritis 'to be available within five years' | Mail Online

Jab to cure arthritis 'to be available within five years' | Mail Online: "Jab to cure arthritis 'to be available within five years'

By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 11:12 AM on 14th August 2008

Jab to cure arthritis 'to be available within five years'

By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 11:12 AM on 14th August 2008

* commentsComments (6)
* Add to My Stories Add to My Stories


A jab to cure rheumatoid arthritis could be on sale within five years, researchers say.

Just a single dose of the vaccine, developed by British scientists, could stop the devastating disease in its tracks.

Researchers are poised to test the injection on humans for the first time and, if successful, will move on to full-scale clinical trials.
rheumatoid arthritis

A single jab of vaccine could stop rheumatoid arthritis, which attacks the joints

The jab works by 'reprogramming' white blood cells to stop patients' immune systems attacking their own body.

There are worries that it would need to be 'customised' to each patient - potentially pushing up the price to £25,000 a dose.

However, if it is effective - and easily produced on a large scale - it could still secure approval from the NHS rationing body and therefore bring relief to 350,000 British sufferers of the condition.

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common of some 200 different types of arthritis, and the only drugs currently available have a range of unpleasant and potentially dangerous side-effects.

These range from an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes to suppression of the immune system.
jab

If given early enough, a single jab could be able to both stop and reverse the symptoms of the disease

Professor Alan Silman of the Arthritis Research Campaign, which is funding the experiments, said: 'This is an important potential cure.

'If it works it could reverse the disease and stop further episodes.'

He added that if given early enough in the disease, a single jab could be able to both stop and reverse the symptoms.

In other words, it could be a cure.

He said: 'It's experimental but why it is fairly exciting is that it is like an immunisation - the idea being that if it fulfils its promise, one treatment will be it.

'You wouldn't need to have any more treatment. You are talking about re-educating the immune system that has gone wrong - with most standard treatments you are treating the consequences.'

The Newcastle University scientists have created a cocktail of chemicals, steroids and vitamins for the jab.

These turn white blood cells into 'generals' capable of damping down the immune response.

The cells are injected back into the patient's joints, with one injection potentially being enough to halt the symptoms in the treated area.

A similar technique has been used in cancer research.

The Newcastle team will test the jab in eight people with the condition, with a view to carrying out larger trials.

crippling condition

The jab 'reprogrammes' white blood cells

The researchers also hope to find out if the vaccine is effective only in the injected joints or whether it is transported around the body.

The need to tailor-make the jab to suit each individual's body could mean it is not suitable for the mass market.

However, if the treatment is shown to be extremely effective, the price - expected to be less than £25,000 for a dose - could be deemed acceptable.