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@article{203777,
        author = {Harshada More and Priti Ambhore},
        title = {A review on management of rheumatoid arthritis and development of transdermal patches},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {1},
        pages = {214-221},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=203777},
        abstract = {Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive, and systemic autoimmune inflammatory disorder characterized by persistent inflammation of synovial joints resulting in cartilage destruction, bone erosion, joint deformity, and functional disability. The disease mainly affects small joints of the hands and feet in a symmetrical pattern and is associated with severe pain, swelling, stiffness, and reduced mobility. Rheumatoid arthritis not only affects joints but may also involve extra-articular organs such as lungs, heart, eyes, skin, and blood vessels. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is increasing globally, particularly among women, making it an important public health concern. Conventional treatment approaches include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and biological agents. Although these therapies provide symptomatic relief and delay disease progression, long-term administration often produces gastrointestinal irritation, hepatic toxicity, renal impairment, frequent dosing complications, and poor patient compliance.
To overcome these limitations, transdermal drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising alternative approach for rheumatoid arthritis management. Transdermal patches deliver drugs through the skin into systemic circulation at a controlled and sustained rate. These systems provide several advantages including avoidance of first-pass metabolism, improved bioavailability, prolonged therapeutic action, reduced systemic side effects, and enhanced patient compliance. Various natural and synthetic polymers, permeation enhancers, plasticizers, and adhesives are utilized for the successful formulation of transdermal patches. Recent advancements such as microneedles, nano-carriers, hydrogel systems, iontophoresis, and sonophoresis have significantly improved transdermal drug delivery efficiency.
This review comprehensively discusses the etiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis along with formulation aspects, evaluation parameters, challenges, recent advances, and future perspectives of transdermal drug delivery systems for rheumatoid arthritis therapy.},
        keywords = {Rheumatoid arthritis, Transdermal patches, Autoimmune disorder, Controlled drug delivery, Anti-inflammatory drugs, Nanotechnology, Drug delivery system},
        month = {June},
        }