Adalimumab is an effective option in the treatment of patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis

Subcutaneous adalimumab 40mg every other week (as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate or standard antirheumatic therapy) is an effective treatment in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have not responded adequately to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In well designed clinical trials, adalimumab retarded the progression of structural joint damage and improved health-related quality of life to a significantly greater extent than placebo. The drug is generally well tolerated, although ≈20% of patients report mild-to-moderate injection-site reactions. © 2005 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved.