Treatment and
Research for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Autoimmune Diseases
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), the first time I heard of this
disease as a college sophomore, I was amazed it affected young people. The
treatment used to be loads of steroids, which have plenty of side-affects including
weight gain. My little-league-pitching nephew, Sebastian was struck
with this dreaded youth flaying arthritis when he was twelve years old. I went
to one of his games and yelled, “Swing batter” or “Knock the cover off”, not PC
at all, but I am so glad I did it. His diagnosis was a slow process and
needless to say, it ended his pitching career. When Sebastian came to visit me
for one of our camping expeditions, I took him to a Mariners game (at his
request). After sitting through all of the innings, he could barely get up and
drag himself the few blocks to the car. It was as if his limbs were numb. This
disease affects 10% of our nation, 1 in every 100 people.[1]
21st Century
Treatments
Flash forward to the advent of two important innovations in
the 21st century, first the introduction of the arthritis treatment, etanercept, was approved for treatment of RA in 1998, and became ubiquitous for
treatment a few years later. When Enbrel was launched by Amgen, the price of
the drug was $1,500 a month per patient or $18,000 a year, in 2008. The current
price of this medication is about $40,000 per patient per year in the U.S. In 2015, Canadians paid about $20,000 per
patient per year for the same medication, no wonder they are so pleasant up north.
How Do People Pay for
this Drug?
One giant leap forward for humanity in 2010, when the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandated that insurance companies
could no longer discriminate on the basis of health. This law made it much
easier for Sebastian and others like him to gain access to affordable health
insurance and thus, treatment. With the medicine he has been able to thrive,
working for the same employer for five years, working out at a gym, and
welcoming the birth of his second child. It is doubtful this would have been
possible without access to health care. Employers frown on employees who are
tired or move a bit stiffer than the others, even if they are in their twenties
and this is what life was like without his medication.
As of this year, there are three biologic drugs approved by
the Federal Drug Administration, all of which will compete with Enbrel, so that
should soften the price somewhat. Of course the way our nation pays for drugs
without negotiating effectively with their largest customer (the government) is
the antithesis of good stewardship.
New Horizons for
researching a cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Benaroya Institute, long noted for its research to cure
type 1 diabetes and global leader of the Type 1 Diabetes Trial Net study to
identify those at risk of diabetes, which is funded by the National Institutes
of Health, is also studying the cellular behavior of people with RA compared to
the non-RA population. This approach is to detect those vulnerable to this
debilitating disease earlier and pre-treat the condition before full blown symptoms
occur. The Benaroya Research Institute has also been awarded an 8 million-dollar
grant from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases to study
the lung epithelium cells, which provide the main response to allergens. [2]
The foundation’s research shows that multiple autoimmune diseases are often
more likely to occur in family populations with an existing autoimmune disease,
such as RA. If you are interested in learning more about current research on
cellular behavior to identify, pre-treat, and eventually cure autoimmune
diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Type 1 Diabetes, join the scientists at
the foundation’s annual outreach luncheon to learn more. This year’s event will
be held at the Fairmont Hotel in Seattle on October 28, 2016. To participate in
the event, find more information at this link:
This article was written by Roberta E. Winter, using the
trademark healthpolicymaven, and may be shared virally. Winter is the author of
https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-U-S-Health-Care-Personal/dp/1442222972
as well as 97 articles on healthcare systems and resourcing better health care.
