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Roy M. Fleischmann, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Dallas, Texas

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Introduction

Roy M. Fleischmann, MD is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Director of the Rheumatology Division at St. Paul University Hospital, both of Dallas, Texas, as well as Co-Medical Director of Metroplex Clinical Research Center in Dallas. In this Expert Practice interview Dr. Fleischmann discusses long-term safety issues associated with the biologic agents currently available to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). He also discusses comorbidities that influence the safety of biologics, as well as the pretreatment screening process for patients who are being considered for biologic treatment.

The use of traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), especially methotrexate (MTX), has been the standard of care for the treatment of RA for many years. The long-term safety of these medications is thus well established. Biologics represent a relatively new way of treating RA, through the targeting of specific molecular pathways. Some of these agents have been in the clinic for almost 10 years, and their short-term and medium-term safety is clear. Their long-term safety (>10 years) is not, as yet, known. This article reviews current safety data for each of the classes of biologics used for the treatment of RA.