Infliximab therapy in established rheumatoid arthritis: An observational study

Infliximab treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathies in one rheumatological center: two years’ drug survival

“…In observational studies, continuation rates are usually lower than in clinical randomized trials, 66% of the patients continued infliximab infusions after one year [8] and after two years' intervention 67% [9] and 73% [10] drug survival rates were reported. In the study of Buch et al, only 27 out of 174 patients (16%) continued infliximab treatment at the 24 months' time-point [14].…”

“…Buch et al reported also that some patients could not maintain an already achieved response at later time points [14]. In observational studies, the rate of discontinuation due to inefficacy varies between 9.2-11% [8, 10,16]. In clinical studies, discontinuation rates due to inefficacy are around 10 % [1,2].…”

“…It is routinely used in the everyday practice when traditional DMARDs are not sufficiently effective. Although infliximab is generally safe and well tolerated, sometimes the treatment must be discontinued due to adverse events [1][2][3][6][7][8][9][10], mainly infections [11][12][13][14] and hypersensitivity reactions [14,15]. In addition, inadequate or waning efficacy complicates drug survival in infliximab-treated patients [8, 10,14,16].…”

Clinical application and evaluation of anti-TNF-alpha agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

“…Patients receiving infliximab are more likely to discontinue therapy because of side effects, which are occasionally severe, as well as infections and infusion reactions [8] . However, infliximab has been found to have a relatively acceptable toxicity profile [3] . Characteristics of infliximab that may influence patient persistence include a preferred administration method and less frequent needle sticks compared with subcutaneous agents [13] .…”

“…Anti-TNF-α therapy leads to substantial functional improvement in the vast majority of patients and down-regulates inflammatory cytokines stimulated by TNF-α. The use of methotrexate (MTX) in combination with three such agents has dramatically improved the treatment of severe RA [2][3][4][5][6] . Studies have established that combination therapy can provide greater therapeutic benefits than single-drug regimens.…”