Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Apr 2010
ReviewThe risk of infections with biologic therapies for rheumatoid arthritis.
To assess the risk of serious and nonserious bacterial and viral infections associated with the use of biologic therapy (abatacept, adalimumab, anakinra, etanercept, infliximab, and rituximab) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ All marketed TNF inhibitors for compared to control RA appear to increase the risk of serious and nonserious infections compared with DMARDs. Although suggestive, data for abatacept and rituximab are less definitive and longer periods of patient exposure to these agents are needed before an assessment of their risks can be made.