title: Economic consequences of established rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment.
abstract: Recent years have witnessed tremendous progress in the therapeutic approach to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The introduction of novel biologic agents, in particular TNF inhibitors, has allowed clinicians to achieve improved outcomes for their patients. An important factor that has affected the utilization of novel therapies is their acquisition costs, which far exceed those for older antirheumatic drugs. Nevertheless, RA is a serious chronic condition which can cause substantial morbidity and even accelerated mortality for affected individuals. The notable sequelae of uncontrolled rheumatoid synovitis include joint damage and functional disability, which in turn, cause severe economic consequences not only to patients and their families, but also to society. Therefore, it is appropriate for pharmacoceconomic analyses to take into account all relevant costs, not only of the treatments, but of the disease itself. In this way, the value of therapies can be correctly estimated.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0943, USA. akavanaugh@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kavanaugh
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D018803:Models, Economic
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents