New Insights into Anti-rheumatic Drugs

Stopping expensive biological drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in patients who are in remission or who have low disease activity can save considerable costs, but it results in a small loss of quality-adjusted life years.

Stopping tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in patients with stable low disease activity, on average, was associated with a cost saving of €7,133, a loss of 0.022 quality-adjusted life years, and an increase of 0.41 arthritis flares per patient per year, reveals study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

In the study, "The subpopulation of patients receiving biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs including tumor necrosis factor inhibitors... has increased over time and accounted for up to 20% of the population of rheumatoid arthritis patients in various Western healthcare systems," the authors wrote.

Diet, Nutrition and Supplements for Osteo-Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis patients should consume a diet rich in natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients and avoid foods like sugar, saturated fats, and trans fatty acids.

‘Stopping expensive biological drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in patients who are in remission or who have low disease activity can save considerable costs, but it results in a small loss of quality-adjusted life years.’

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints and the surrounding tissues. It is an autoimmune disease.

Source-Eurekalert

Rheumatoid Arthritis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, FAQs
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in the joints.

Tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Are you experiencing pain in the joints? You might have Rheumatoid arthritis, a condition affecting joints and results in pain and joint deformities. It is diagnosed by radiology and blood tests.

Quiz on Arthritis
Do you know that there are more than 100 types of arthritis? If you think that only old people suffer from arthritis, take this intriguing quiz to get your facts on arthritis.