The treatment of inflammatory arthritis has been revolutionised by the introduction biologic treatments. Many agents are currently licensed for use in both paediatric and adult patients with contribute to improved disease outcomes compared pre-biologic era. However, immunogenicity agents, characterised an immune reaction leading production anti-drug antibodies (ADAs), can negatively impact ther...

INTRODUCTION Chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (RDs) trigger high costs for healthcare systems and society due to the disability and comorbidity associated with these disease entities. The aim of this study was to analyze patients with RD, assess the use of conventional synthetic and biologic therapies, and estimate the overall cost of treatment in Italy. METHODS Administrative healthca...

While initial researches documented that Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients who took biologic agents had decreased symptoms with those receiving traditional treatment, safety of the drugs remains a concern. The authors in this paper review the safety of the RA new therapeutic approach utilizing biological agents and compare it with the safety of conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic dru...

Clinical evidence demonstrates coadministration of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) agents and methotrexate (MTX) is more efficacious than administration of TNFi agents alone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, leading to the perception that coadministration of MTX with all biologic agents or oral disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs is necessary for maximum efficacy. Real-life regis...

Biologic drugs, as with all other medical technologies, are subject to a number of regulatory, marketing, reimbursement (financing) and other demand-restricting hurdles applied by healthcare payers. One example is the routine use of cost-effectiveness analyses or health technology assessments to determine which medical technologies offer value-for-money. The manner in which these assessments ar...

BACKGROUND Axial spondyloarthropathy typically has its onset in early adulthood and can impact significantly on quality of life. In the UK, biologic anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy is recommended for patients who are unresponsive to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. There remain several unresolved issues about the long-term safety and quality of life outcomes of biologic treatment in a...