Two arthritis drugs cure hand deformity say Scottish scientists

A condition which causes deformity of the hand leading to impairment and disability can now be successfully treated by using drugs developed in recent years for the treatment of different forms of arthritis.

Dupuytren’s disease is a common and progressive fibroproliferative disorder of the hand, causing usually the little or ring finger to be pulled in towards the palm of the hand.

The deformity can impair hand movement to the extent it limits daily activities severely, including self-care and employment, reducing health-related quality of life.

There are no approved treatments for the early stages of the disease and a high recurrence in late-stage disease when therapies including surgery and injection therapy which work for only a limited length of time. Across the UK, the prevalence of the disease is approximately 20 per cent.

In Scotland the prevalence is much higher – 40 per cent of the population – and in Scandinavian countries, it affects around 30 per cent of men over 60.

This is because the disease is genetic; Scots are affected more than other parts of the UK because more people carry Celtic or Irish genes.

Now, however, a team led by Mr Neal Millar, clinical senior lecturer in orthopaedic surgery in the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, has discovered that two drugs developed in recent years for the treatment of different forms of arthritis can block the fibrotic response found in Dupuytren’s disease.

The drugs are: Cytokine inhibitors which has been used for treating rheumatoid and other forms of arthritis for around 15 years and JAK inhibitors which became available around five years ago, and is also used for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis.

Mr Millar said: “Our work using patient samples from Dupuytren’s disease has discovered a key role for these drugs.

“We were able to reverse these fibrotic changes in human cells. Until now, there has been nothing out there for these patients.”

The two arthritis drugs are licensed for use in the treatment of that disease but under drug regulations, they must undergo further testing for use in the treatment of a different disease.

Mr Millar and his team have submitted a patent for the discovery of the new use of the drugs. They have also been awarded a grant from the Medical Research Council to conduct experimental therapeutic trials which he anticipates could start in a year’s time.