Efficacy and safety of anti-TNF agents in the Lombardy rheumatoid arthritis network (LORHEN)

Abstract

Clinical trials have shown that anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α drugs are effective in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) refractory to disease- modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (1-4). At about the same time as the European approval of the third anti-TNFα agent (adalimumab) for treating RA patients, the Italian Society of Rheumatology (Società Italiana di Reumatologia [SIR]) started a database for the registration and active follow-up of RA patients treated with biological response modifiers, which contains all of the demographic and clinical parameters, as well as the therapeutic data, usually needed to follow RA patients...