Summary of AHRQ's comparative effectiveness review of drug therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults--an update.

In 2011, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) published a systematic review on the comparative effectiveness of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) used to treat adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The publication was an update to a 2007 report. A total of 258 published articles were used in the AHRQ review to compare the effectiveness of corticosteroids, and oral and biologic DMARDs in the treatment of RA. Head-to-head studies and prospective cohort trials were used to compare one drug to another in determining efficacy and effectiveness. AHRQ compiled this report in an attempt to summarize and integrate the available data for clinicians to make evidence based practice decisions for their patients since there is limited consensus among the medical community regarding the comparative effectiveness of drugs used to treat RA. The report reveals there is still much research to be done concerning the side effects of these agents and their influence in different patient subgroups.