At present, there is no cure for RA. However, several medications have been recently developed that can help manage the symptoms of RA allowing most patients to live productive and relatively pain-free lives.

For short-term relief of acute inflammation and stiffness, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib can be used. Also, corticosteroids such as prednisone and methylprednisolone can be used to reduce acute inflammation and pain but cannot be used for long periods due to serious side effects and decreased efficacy.

In addition to the medications mentioned above for treating acute symptoms, most people with RA also take some type of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). When used in the early stages of the disease, these drugs can help slow disease progression and help prevent new joints from becoming involved. However, these drugs do not give any immediate relief from symptoms and so they are usually taken along with NSAIDs or corticosteroids. Common DMARDs include: methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Folex), hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), gold given orally called auranofin (Ridaura), gold given by intramuscluar injection called minocycline (Dynacin, Minocin), and sulfasalazine (Azulfidine). Immunosuppressant drugs that lower the activity of the immune system are another type of DMARDs and include cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan).

Newer-generation drugs for RA are also DMARDs but they often go by the name biologic response modifiers or “biologic agents” because they specifically target parts of the immune system that lead to inflammation in RA. One type of these is the TNF-alpha inhibitors that block the effects of an inflammatory molecule called TNF-alpha. The three drugs available in the class are etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), and adalimumab (Humira). Another biologic agent is anakinra (Kineret) which works by blocking the receptor for a pro-inflammatory molecule called interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R). Two other biologic agents work by specifically inhibiting certain cells of the immune system: abatacept (Orencia) works by inactivating immune cells called T cells while and rituximab (Rituxan) reduces the number of a different type of immune cells called B cells.

Physical and occupational therapy may also help improve symptoms while assistive devices can help take the stress off of some joints. In some cases when joint damage is severe, surgery may be an option to help correct deformities and restore some motion to the joint.