biological therapies for rheumatoid arthritis
Last reviewed 11/2021
- biologic therapies include the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha inhibitors, (etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab), rituximab and anakinra
- NICE suggest that:
- on the balance of its clinical benefits and cost effectiveness, anakinra is not recommended for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), except in the context of a controlled, long-term clinical study
- patients currently receiving anakinra for RA may suffer loss of wellbeing if their treatment were discontinued at a time they did not anticipate. Therefore, patients should continue therapy with anakinra until they and their consultant consider it is appropriate to stop
- do not offer the combination of tumour necrosis factor- alpha inhibitor therapy and anakinra for RA
Reference:
NICE guidance - upadacitinib for treating moderate rheumatoid arthritis