Treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis in developing countries. Biologics or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs?
Biologics are highly effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but they are very expensive. The costs of biologics should limit their usage in patients with RA, especially in the developing countries. Therefore, it is necessary to develop suitable strategies for treating RA patients in these countries. In this article, the efficacy, toxicity, and cost-effectiveness of conventional DMARDs and biologics will be investigated. The therapeutic strategies for treating early RA will also be proposed.
Yen
J-H
JH
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan. jehsye@kmu.edu.tw
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods; D003906:Developing Countries; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001688:Biological Products; D007155:Immunologic Factors