Role of adalimumab in the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis

E.C. Keystone, B. Haraoui¹, V.P. Bykerk

Department of Medicine, University of Toronto; ¹Department of Medicine,  Université de Montreal, Canada.

ABSTRACT
Adalimumab, a recent addition to the therapeutic armamentarium in rheum-atoid arthritis (RA), has been evaluated in patients with early RA. The DE019 study, a double blind randomized placebo controlled trial of adalimumab given 20 mg once a week or 40 mg every other week demonstrated both clinical and radiographic efficacy. A subset analysis of patients with early disease revealed that early treatment with adalimumab may be more efficacious than therapy later in the course of disease, particularly with regard to radiographic progression. The findings support early aggressive intervention in RA.

Key words
Rheumatoid arthritis, early, adalimumab, biologic therapies.

Please address correspondence to: Edward C. Keystone, MD, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Room 1005, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5, Canada.

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2003; 21: (Suppl. 31): S198-S199.
© Copyright Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2003.