PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - MAJED KHRAISHI
TI  - Comparative Overview of Safety of the Biologics in Rheumatoid Arthritis
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.090128
DP  - 2009 Jun 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 25--32
VI  - 82
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/82/25.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/82/25.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2009 Jun 01; 82
AB  - Six biologic agents are currently available in Canada for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA): abatacept, adalimumab, anakinra, etanercept, infliximab, and rituximab. Although they are generally considered to be safe and well tolerated, concerns have been raised regarding the use of biologic therapies in the treatment of RA. The new biologic agents abatacept and rituximab have novel mechanisms of action, and may therefore offer different safety profiles. The most important safety concerns with the biologic therapies remain the increased risk of infection. An increased risk of malignancies, including lymphoma and skin cancer, has been noted in RA trials, but the extent to which each of the biologic therapies contributes to the risk of malignancy has not been clearly defined.