Rheumatoid arthritis

Main article: Rheumatic diseases

Spread of the disease

According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, in 2019, the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is up to 700 thousand people, 40% of them become disabled over the next 10 years, the life expectancy of a patient with RA is 10-15 years less than the average in the population.

According to some estimates, in the Russian Federation, from 800 thousand to 1 million people may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. According to official statistics, in 2019, 319,730 patients were registered (274.3 per 100 thousand), which is 3% higher than the number of registered patients in 2018 - 309,135 patients (264.8 per 100 thousand)

As of August 2019, 13,456 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were registered in St. Petersburg alone, according to experts, the real indicators of the disease are several times higher than the official data.

As of 2021, rheumatoid arthritis is 3 times more common in women than in men. The peak incidence falls on the able-bodied socio-active age (35-55 years).

Arthritis is thought to affect adults, but "Renoir's disease" also affects children. According to the official statistics of the Ministry of Health, available for 2021, there are about 50,000 children with rheumatic diseases in the Russian Federation. Severe, often lifelong disability occurs within the first 5 years of illness in 50% of children with juvenile arthritis. A third of children develop rheumatic diseases between the ages of 9 months and 1.5 years.

Main symptoms

The main symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are:

• morning stiffness,
• tight mobility in the small joints of the hands and feet, knees, shoulders, lasting more than 30 minutes,
• swelling of joints, increase in their volume, size, tenderness in lateral compression (as in handshake) of hands and feet.

Joints affected by arthritis

Possible complications

The severity of the course of rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, is due not only to the damage to the joints and their impaired function, but also to the systemic manifestations of the chronic inflammatory process, an increased risk of developing concomitant diseases, which are mainly the cause of death of patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a risk factor for the development of severe chronic conditions, the result of which can be myocardial infarction, stroke, large vessel thrombosis, etc. Rheumatic diseases include over 80 diseases and syndromes, but the highest medical and social burden is associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

According to data for 2021, 8-10 years after the onset of the disease, 37-60% of patients become disabled. The total mortality from various causes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is 2.5 times higher than in the general population of the corresponding age.

Treatment

Patients with rheumatic diseases need lifelong treatment. Up to 30% of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis require the use of genetically engineered biological drugs (GEBDs) due to the inefficiency of other treatments.

Medicinal products

2024

World's first neurostimulator for severe rheumatoid arthritis released

In mid-December 2024, the American company SetPoint Medical introduced a neuroimmune modulation device for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. Her task force is patients who respond poorly to standard therapy and patients who do not tolerate biological or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Read more here.

In Russia, rheumatoid arthritis began to be treated with a unique genetic engineering technology

On October 16, 2024, at the E. M. Tareev Clinic of Rheumatology, Nephrology and Occupational Pathology of Sechenov University, the use of unique domestic genetic engineering technology for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis began. The new method is based on the use of monoclonal antibodies developed by Russian pharmaceutical companies. Read more here.

Drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis "Artlegia" received a certificate "Made in Russia"

The drug for the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis "Artlegia" received a certificate "Made in Russia" for export promotion under the national brand, which is sold by the Russian Export Center (REC, part of the ВЭБ.РФ). The developer of the drug is the R-Pharm group of companies, which announced this on July 12, 2024. Read more here.

2023

Artlegia (olokizumab) is registered in Belarus

The original Russian drug against rheumatoid arthritis Artlegia (olokizumab), developed by the R-Pharm group of companies, was registered in the Republic of Belarus. The developer announced this on September 14, 2023. Read more here.

Artlegia (olokizumab) is registered in Kyrgyzstan

On March 14, 2023, the R-Pharm Group of Companies announced the registration in the Kyrgyz Republic of an original proprietary drug Artlegia (olokizumab) intended for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and coronavirus infection. The drug is included in the Clinical Recommendations "Rheumatoid Arthritis" from 2021, as well as in the temporary guidelines of the Ministry of Health of Russia for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 from 2020. Read more here.

2020

Olokizumab is recognized as a vital and essential drug

In October 2020 Russia olokizumab , it was recognized as a vital and critical drug, which could make innovative treatments for rheumatoid arthritis for patients in need of therapy more affordable. More. here

Artlegia ( olokizumab) is approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

On May 29, 2020, the R-Pharm group announced that it had completed the registration process for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis Artlegia (olokizumab). The production of the drug is carried out at the R-Pharm enterprise in Yaroslavl, the drug has already been sent to Russian medical institutions. Read more here.

Arthritis Day

Since 1996, thanks to the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), World Arthritis Day has been celebrated on October 12. The purpose of this day is to draw public attention to the problems of people with rheumatic diseases.