RESEARCH: Effects of Long-Term Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs on Endothelial Function in Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. e53-e64 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Turiel ◽  
L. Tomasoni ◽  
S. Sitia ◽  
S. Cicala ◽  
L. Gianturco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Endothelial Function ◽  
Early Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs ◽  
Antirheumatic Drugs ◽  
Disease Modifying

scholarly journals Pharmacotherapy Options in Rheumatoid Arthritis

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. CMAMD.S5558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
Snehashish Banik
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Biologic Therapy ◽  
First Line ◽  
Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs ◽  
Antirheumatic Drugs ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Disease Modifying ◽  
Disease Modifying Agents ◽  
Term Data

Drugs form the mainstay of therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Five main classes of drugs are currently used: analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, nonbiologic and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Current clinical practice guidelines recommend that clinicians start biologic agents if patients have suboptimal response or intolerant to one or two traditional disease modifying agents (DMARDs). Methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine are the commonly used DMARDs. Currently, anti-TNF is the commonly used first line biologic worldwide followed by abatacept and it is usually combined with MTX. There is some evidence that tocilizumab is the most effective biologic as a monotherapy agent. Rituximab is generally not used as a first line biologic therapy due to safety issues but still as effective as anti-TNF. The long term data for the newer oral small molecule biologics such as tofacitinib is not available and hence used only as a last resort.

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