RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Canadian Rheumatology Association Recommendations for Pharmacological Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Traditional and Biologic Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs JF The Journal of Rheumatology JO J Rheumatol FD The Journal of Rheumatology SP jrheum.110207 DO 10.3899/jrheum.110207 A1 Vivian P. Bykerk A1 Pooneh Akhavan A1 Glen S. Hazlewood A1 Orit Schieir A1 Anne Dooley A1 Boulos Haraoui A1 Majed Khraishi A1 Sharon A. LeClercq A1 Jean Légaré A1 Diane P. Mosher A1 James Pencharz A1 Janet E. Pope A1 John Thomson A1 Carter Thorne A1 Michel Zummer A1 Claire Bombardier YR 2011 UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2011/09/12/jrheum.110207.abstract AB Objective The Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) has developed recommendations for the pharmacological management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with traditional and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) in 2 parts. Part 1 is reported here. Methods The CRA Therapeutics Committee assembled a national working group of RA clinical experts, researchers, patient consumers, and a general practitioner. Treatment questions were developed a priori based on results of a national needs assessment survey. A systematic review of all clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements regarding treatment with traditional and biologic DMARD in patients with RA published between January 2000 and June 2010 was performed in Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases, and the grey literature. Guideline quality was assessed by 2 independent reviewers, and guideline characteristics, recommendations, and supporting evidence from observational studies and randomized controlled trials were synthesized into evidence tables. The full working group reviewed the evidence tables and developed recommendations using a modified Delphi technique. Results Five overarching principles and 26 recommendations addressing general RA management strategies and treatment with glucocorticoids and traditional and biologic DMARD were developed for rheumatologists, other primary prescribers of RA drug therapies, and patients with RA. Conclusion These recommendations were developed based on a synthesis of international guidelines, supporting evidence, and expert consensus considering the Canadian healthcare context with the intention of promoting best practices and improving healthcare delivery for persons with RA.