Compared with other diseases, joint pain is often felt to be underestimated because not dangerous and cause death.
Unaware of the disease suffered is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), patients delayed treatment, causing businesses to treat difficult. This is because the RA takes longer to show significant symptoms.
About five of 1,000 people in Malaysia and 23.7 million people worldwide suffer from RA. It is a serious and progressive disease that can cause joint damage that can not be restored.
Arthritis Foundation Malaysia president, Dr Amir Zain said, RA is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that hurts and disabling.
"Individuals with arthritis will experience pain, swelling and stiffness at the joints, especially in the hands, feet and knees. Studies have shown that individuals with RA is 40 per cent more likely to suffer from the general health of moderate or severe compared to individuals without RA.
"In addition to the painful symptoms and the subsequent impact on quality of life, RA is a long-term disease that can burden of disease in terms of the economy," he said.
He was speaking at the launch of Xeljanz (tofacitinib citrate) oral treatment option for patients with active RA moderate to severe stages of an incurable disease or are intolerant to methotrexate (MTX) in the capital, recently.
Although RA can affect people of all ages, it typically occurs in the age range 40 to 70 years and attacked two to three times more women than men.
RA patients have worse functional status of those who have osteoartitis and about six times more likely to incur medical charges than those who do not have arthritis.
Joints attacked and suffered internal damage surrounding bone. There is no specific treatment to cure this disease. Patients requiring treatment not only to deal with the pain and inflammation, also constrain the progression of the disease.
Worse, RA is also associated with other diseases including cardiovascular disease, infections and mental health problems.
In our society, awareness and knowledge about RA is still at a low level. Typically, patients ignore symptoms of the disease, mistaking them for regular joint pain. They only seek treatment when pain is getting worse.
Rheumatologist who served with the Arizona Arthritis & Rheumatology Associates, explains Dr John Tesser, Xeljanz is an important new therapy. It works through a different mechanism and add to the therapeutic options, thus enhancing the ability rheumatologist to treat this serious autoimmune disease.
"Given the severity and impact of this disease, the availability of Xeljanz provide additional treatment options to patients with active RA who have moderate to severe intolerant to other available therapies.
"Unlike other biological therapies that target cytokines outside the cell, Xeljanz work (much) in cells to inhibit passage routes Janus kinase (JAK), then stop signal and the production of cytokines involved in inflammation of RA. Another added benefit is for Xeljanz it requires no injection or infusion, "he said.
Also present was the Chairman of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals Innovation Malaysia / Singapore, Lee Jin Jack. Xeljanz proven efficacy and safety in the global clinical development program involving nearly 4,800 Comprehensive patients treated with tofacitinib which produces approximately 7,000 patient years of experience with tofacitinib.
In clinical studies, Xeljanz 5 milligrams twice daily demonstrated clinical efficacy whether it is taken as monotherapy or in combination with non-biological DMARDs such as methotrexate (MTX) in a variety of patient populations, including patients who showed no reaction to the non-biological DMARD or biological DMARD, as inhibitors value tumor necrosis factor (TNF).
Program 3 oral phase (Phase 3 trials Rheumatoid Arthritis), covering more than 550 locations in over 40 countries worldwide. Program consists of six clinical trials are complete, in addition to a long-term extension study, which is still running.
