One year in review 2020: novelties in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2020 Mar-Apr;38(2):181-194. doi: 10.55563/clinexprheumatol/n6zc67. Epub 2020 Mar 26.

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management is driven by evidence, and new 2019 EULAR recommendations help in refining the relevant place of different disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in treatment schedules. At present, new drugs are in phase of development, mainly Janus Kinase inhibitors (JAKis), however, specific treatment strategies seem to count more than individual DMARDs in terms of treatment responses, given the substantial lack of head-to-head comparisons between specific biological (b) and targeted synthetic (ts)DMARDs, and with the general perception of a similar efficacy profile across drugs. In this setting, when reliable biomarkers able to predict treatment responses are lacking, treatment decisions are mainly driven by specific clinical or individual factors, given the recognised role of comorbidities, treatment-specific side effects, patients’ preferences, and costs on drug choice. In this narrative review, the authors give their specific point of view on the management of RA, based on a critical revision of the literature published in 2019, focusing on relevant novelties and future research directions.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antirheumatic Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid* / drug therapy
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions*
  • Humans
  • Janus Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Patient Preference

Substances

  • Antirheumatic Agents
  • Janus Kinase Inhibitors