title: Advances in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: There are now eight approved biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), two biosimilars and one targeted synthetic DMARD in Australia with a number of new products and biosimilars in the pipeline. bDMARDs have excellent efficacy, especially when combined with traditional DMARDs, and a well characterised but manageable safety profile. These expanded therapeutic options have revolutionised patient care and made remission (including drug free remission) a realistic goal. Evidence of a "window of opportunity" that changes the long term phenotype of the disease has been well established, so therapy should be commenced as early as possible in the disease process and a shared care model between general practitioner and rheumatologist provides the best outcomes. While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, treatment has improved to the point where many patients can achieve a normal quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS g.jones@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Graeme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Coast Joint Care, Maroochydore, QLD.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nash
authors.affiliation: Cabrini Medical Centre, Malvern, VIC.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001315:Australia; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D012074:Remission Induction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals