Women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can find significant relief coming their way with CH-1504, a potential oral drug for RA. Treatment with this drug is easier when compared to presently available treatment options.

A pharmaceutical company specializing in treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other immunological diseases, Chelsea Therapeutics, is presently developing an oral anti-inflammatory drug besides conducting Phase I clinical trials in the UK to provide a solution for this condition, which is more prevalent in women and develops between ages of 35 and 50.

From News-Medical.Net:

Current treatment options for RA include over-the-counter oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other pain relievers; oral steroids; but the gold standard for treatment is still methotrexate, a drug that been used for nearly 30 years. Newly available compounds known as biologic response modifiers, such as etanercept and infliximab are used when the disease progresses (mostly in combination with methotrexate) but have to be injected and are very expensive.

While methotrexate is often effective, long-term chronic doses of the drug can be toxic to the liver, kidneys and other organs. Short-term tolerability issues such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea also often limit its use.

“Given the problems that many patients have tolerating methotrexate along with its long-term safety concerns, a drug candidate that is proven to be as effective or more effective than with fewer side effects would be a major breakthrough in the treatment of RA. This may prompt patients to treat their condition earlier and continue treatment longer,” says Dr. Pedder.

CH-1504 therapy was initially developed by Dr. M. Gopal Nair, a professor and vice-chairman at the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of South Alabama.