Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with high mortality. Treatment of RA has always been challenging since the early recognition of this disease back in mid 18th century. The etiology of RA is still unknown and specific therapy for the cure is yet to come. Multidisciplinary approach is required for the management and drug therapy is one of the many management modalities for this chronic disease.

Drugs ranging from simple analgesics to antiinflammatory drugs to powerful immunomodulators have been used for the treatment of RA with varying success. In the last decade, the major change in the therapeutic approach to the treatment of patients with RA has been the widespread use of methotrexate alone or in combination with other conventional disease modifying autirheumatic drugs(DMARDs). Despite the availability of agents that are believed to be disease modifying, many patients either do not respond adequately to available agents or must discontinue their use because of intolerable or dangerous adverse reactions.

For this reason, researchers continue to search for more efficacious and less toxic agents for patients with RA.