Transforming arthritis care: 25 Years of groundbreaking Anti-TNF Treatment

“It got to the point where I couldn’t walk. My hand pain was so severe I couldn’t bend my fingers. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I was very emotional. I was 19, I was by myself, and it all seemed very bleak.” 

Ellana was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was just a teenager – and it was a nerve-wracking time.

Because of the pain in her hands, she needed help with everyday tasks like cutting her food. And when she was feeling fatigued, going to university classes felt like an uphill battle. 

Like millions of others, Ellana was given an anti-TNF medicine – and she hasn't looked back since. Nowadays, she only has the occasional flare-up. And last year, she even ran the London Marathon.  

Anti-TNF drugs gave Ellana the relief from pain she needs – and they’ve helped millions of people worldwide.

But they haven’t always been around. They are the result of days, months and years of painstaking research, trials and tests funded by Versus Arthritis and The Kennedy Trust.  

It’s been 25 years since the first anti-TNF drugs were approved for treatment. 

So, to celebrate this incredible milestone, we deep dived into an archive at the Wellcome Trust which explores how this life-changing medicine was discovered. This archive was kindly funded by The Kennedy Trust.  

What are anti-TNF medications?

Versus Arthritis funded over £30m of research in the 1980s and 90s, which led to a new type of medicine called anti-TNF (or anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy).

These medicines are used to treat types of inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondylarthritis. Our research also showed that these treatments were safe and effective for children with arthritis. 

In these conditions, the immune system (the body’s natural defence system) is out of balance and can attack your joints, spine, and sometimes other organs too. 

Anti-TNF drugs, such as infliximab and adalimumab, work by blocking parts of the immune system that cause inflammation. 

It also stops damage to the joints, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, which can make a huge difference to people’s lives. 

What’s next?

We’re the largest dedicated funder of arthritis research in the UK — and over the past few decades we’ve made some incredible breakthroughs. 

But our work isn’t done.  

We know that an arthritis diagnosis often takes far too long, and that because of a trial-and-error approach to treatment, many people don’t get the care they deserve.  

That's why our researchers are working tirelessly to develop new ways to diagnose and treat the 10 million people living with arthritis.

Our research has the power to change lives and bring hope for a brighter future, free from the pain of arthritis.  

But it wouldn’t be possible without the support of people like you.