ABATACEPT: A NEW CHOICE FOR CHILDREN WITH POLYARTICULAR COURSE JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic disorder in children. Children with polyarticular curse JIA, who do not respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroid injections, are treated with disease modyfing anti-rheumatic drugs with the first choice being methotrexate (MTX). For children not responding or intolerant to MTX, different therapeutic modalities with the so-called biologic agents, such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF), are now available. However, a certain proportion of children with JIA, do not respond or are intolerant to anti-TNF therapy. This review summarises the available evidence related to the safety and efficacy profile of abatacept, a new selective co-stimulation modulator, for the treatment of polyarticular course JIA.