Chronic inflammatory diseases are incurable diseases that can significantly affect patients’ quality of life, requiring lifelong therapy which aims to reduce the activity of the immune system and control of the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases spread throughout the world for which the exact cause is still unknown. It is assumed that the disease develops in genetically predisposed individuals due to a combination of genetic susceptibility, epigenetic modification, and environmental factors triggered by a random event. The ultimate therapeutic goal is either to achieve a complete remission or at least significantly reduce the activity of the disease in order to prevent or slow down the progress of joint damage, prevent the disability and systemic manifestation of the disease, and improve patients’ quality of life. A better understanding of the disease pathophysiology has enabled the development of new therapies, and use of modern targeted therapy drugs are increasingly used in the treatment of the disease. In the master's thesis, we reviewed clinical studies that investigated the efficacy and safety of the two most commonly used active substances, adalimumab (a monoclonal antibody) and tofacitinib (a selective target synthesis inhibitor). We have searched the literature in public accessible databases and, on the basis of repeated hits, decided that the main database would be the MEDLINE database. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we considered seven studies for tofacitinib and five studies for adalimumab, which investigated the efficacy and safety in adult patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. We presented the basic characteristics of the studies and listed data on efficacy and safety. In clinical studies, the effectiveness of both active substances was proven, as they reduced the symptoms of the disease, slowed down or prevented joint damage and improved the physical functions and quality of life of patients. Both active substances have a favorable safety profile, but studies have shown some safety signals that need to be monitored (increased possibility of opportunistic infections, occurrence of malignancy, abnormal laboratory values). In studies with the monoclonal antibody adalimumab, antibodies against the active substance appeared in a small proportion of patients, which was significantly reduced when methotrexate was used concomitantly.
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