Economic issues with new rheumatologic therapeutics.
OBJECTIVE
Pharmacoeconomic evaluations are increasingly important in all aspects of medicine. In rheumatology, such studies have become all the more relevant following the introduction of highly effective biologic agents. Brought to the clinic initially for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, biologic agents have found expanded indication in other rheumatic diseases.


RESULTS
Building upon a long tradition in rheumatology, recent studies have updated and expanded upon the costs of various rheumatic diseases. These studies set the stage for determining the value of newer therapies. As a result of the chronic nature of rheumatic diseases, pharmacoeconomic evaluations must be carried out over sufficiently long time frames. Therefore, methodologic issues continue to be an area of ongoing discussion. Finally, ongoing studies have estimated the cost-effectiveness of novel rheumatologic therapies, in particular the inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor. These studies have shown that in several clinical circumstances, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors can indeed have an incremental cost-efficacy within the range of generally accepted medical interventions. While many of these studies focused on rheumatoid arthritis, there is growing interest in pharmacoeconomic evaluations in other rheumatic diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
Pharmacoeconomic evaluations are crucial to the optimal use of new therapies in rheumatology.
Kavanaugh
Arthur
A
Center for Innovative Therapy, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0943, USA. akavanaugh@ucsd.edu
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D006801:Humans; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha