Antibody discovery could cure RA

[APbeliever]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1284556/Antibody-discovery-cure-arthritis.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

 

But this short therapy would not be profitable for US drug manufacturers since it will wipe out their profits if the disease is ever cured. Remember ” Casper the Ghost” that would wipe out RA we read about earlier from a US medical journal

[Maz]

Hi APB,

Thanks for sharing your find. At first glance, this looks like a miracle cure and almost too good to be true. At second and subsequent glance, the issue that comes to mind for me is that…when that pathway of the immune system is shut off permanently, how will the body be able to react to infections in future? If it is merely re-setting immune function that is one thing. If it is permanently disabling that particular immune pathway, the body may never again be able to mount an immune response to pathogens. What then?

As with most new drugs, think we need to wait on longterm outcomes for things like opportunistic infections, cancers, etc. Just being cautious here. 😉

Peace, Maz

[APbeliever]

Hi Maz, this drug (if it ever comes to market) does not shut off the immunity like biologics. It only targets the CD4 component and spares the rest of the components. However, that too could cause other problems especially the problems that deals with CD4. There is another drug that targets CD3 which was posted by JB today.

[Maz]

[user=1212]APbeliever[/user] wrote:

It only targets the CD4 component and spares the rest of the components. However, that too could cause other problems especially the problems that deals with CD4.

Hi APB,

Yes, shutting off or disabling CD4 could have serious consequences for immunity. This is the glycoprotein that is compromised in HIV.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD4

How do we know that interfering with this glycoprotein could not create an immune-deficiency syndrome similar to that of AIDs? I don't know enough about the chemistry of all this, but until I do, it concerns me. Put it this way…I wouldn't want to be a guinea pig for this new drug and I'd want to see longterm efficacy and safety profiles.

Peace, Maz

[APbeliever]

Yeah i read that on wikipedia too. The only good thing about CD3 and CD4 meds that I read is that they are only taken for a short time to cure the disease completely. Its not like taking Biologics or MTX or other immune suppresssing meds that are usually given to RA patients forever to achieve remission. I don't know how the pharmaceutical industry is going to like this 'cure'. I am sure they will want something that they can sell until the life of the patient to maximize profits. I am sure any medicine that would cure the disease would disappear forever from the news :crying:

[Eva Holloway]

Thank you APbeliever, this is very interesting and maybe one of those days they will find a cure for RA. But there is also big pharma and they may balk at the idea that someone will have something that may cure RA. Can you imagen them letting something like this come into the US?

Eva:)

Eva Holloway

[Author]

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