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Sarah Pressman Lovinger, MD

JAMA. 2003;289:3229-3230.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

In the few short years since biologic agents were introduced for treating rheumatoid arthritis, the drugs have sparked interest among clinicians and patients because of their purported superiority to standard therapies in delaying or preventing the deformity and disability associated with this condition. But not everyone is convinced that the availability of these agents in the treatment of this chronic and often debilitating disease is an unmixed blessing.

While initial studies demonstrated that patients with rheumatoid arthritis who took biologic agents had decreased symptoms compared with those receiving standard therapy, safety of the drugs remains a concern, along with cost.

Clinicians hope that potent anti-inflammatory drugs, including new biologic agents, will help prevent or slow joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. (Photo credit: Robert Everett)

ADDING A NEW STEP

In years past, rheumatoid arthritis traditionally was treated in a stepwise manner: drugs with the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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