Although the use of the term<unk> s was first propagated in rheumatoid arthritis (hence their name), the term has come to pertain to many other<unk> s, such as Crohn's<unk> , lupus erythematosus, Sjögren syndrome, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, myasthenia gravis, sarcoidosis, and various others. The term was originally introduced to indicate a drug that reduces evidence of processes thought to underlie the<unk> , such as a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate, reduced haemoglobin level, raised rheumatoid factor level, and more recently, a raised C-reactive protein level. More recently, the term has been used to indicate a drug that reduces the rate of damage to bone and cartilage.<unk> s can be further subdivided into traditional small molecular mass drugs synthesised chemically and newer "biological" agents produced through genetic engineering. Some<unk> s (e.g. the purine synthesis inhibitors) are mild chemotherapeutics, but use a side effect of chemotherapy—immunosuppression—as their main therapeutical benefit.
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drug
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Antiarthritics
Antiviral drug
Anticorticosteroid
Antiprion drug
Immunosuppressive drug
Chiral drugs