Rheumatoid Arthritis: State of the Treatment Cost

DRUG DEVELOPMENT AND RATIONAL USE OF DRUGS
I.R. Mavlyanov, PhD, ScD; G.T. Bekenova

Tashkent Medical Academy; Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Abstract: 

Currently, there are three general classes of drugs commonly used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs): methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, and hydroxychloroquine, as well as biologic DMARDs (biologic agents - genetically engineered drugs): etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, rituximab, certolizumab, anakinra, and other. Other immunomodulators are occasionally used including azathioprine and cyclosporine. Fortunately in the last few years, a shift in strategy toward the earlier institution of disease modifying drugs and the availability of new classes of medications have greatly improved the outcomes that can be expected by most patients.  However, the high cost of modern technologies indicates a need to study the economic burden of rheumatoid arthritis for a rational choice of a particular method of treatment.

Keywords: 
rheumatoid arthritis; treatment, pharmacoeconomical analysis.
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