Column filters the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
The filtering process is thought to remove harmful antibodies and immune complexes that are believed to cause inflammation within the joint. A protein inside the column binds and removes harmful antibodies from the plasma. The treated blood is then returned to the patient to complete the process. Patients undergo one treatment per week, lasting two hours, for 12 weeks. Generally, patients who respond to the therapy do not need any further treatments for up to a year.