Cytokine medicines in clinical practice: current issues.

Cytokine medicines have been licensed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis since 2000. The rheumatology community has accrued a large amount of experience in the use of these medications. This experience has led to the development of guidelines for their use that include ongoing vigilance for long term adverse events and efficacy using the Biologics Register. Delivery of these expensive therapies has prompted extensive system developments within rheumatology. The cytokine medicines have provided important tools to probe the pathogenesis of rheumatoid and other inflammatory diseases. Further cytokine medicines, in various stages of development, are on the horizon and continue to stimulate excitement within this fast expanding field.