It is generally agreed that no currently available drugs, including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), can reverse or halt the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, DMARDs are slow to produce clinical benefits and have potentially serious adverse effects. It is not surprising, therefore, that rheumatologists are excited about new clinical trial results supporting prior evidence that treatments directed against tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-&agr; may be able to slow or even arrest progressive joint destruction in patients with RA.*The latest clinical efficacy and safety data with 2 biological agents that neutralise the activity of TNF-&agr;, Immunex's TNFR-Fc p75 fusion protein [‘Enbrel’] and Centocor's infliximab [CenTNF, ‘Avakine’], were presented at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatolog [Washington DC, US; November 1997].