[New drugs against rheumatoid arthritis. Improved treatment options place new demands on health care organization]

Abstract

During the present year more new drugs will be introduced for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis than have been for several decades. In order to make the widening range of therapeutic options truly available in daily clinical care, certain changes will be required in the organization of treatment resources for rheumatic patients. Several articles in the present issue of Läkartidningen describe the new drugs. Besides introducing these new drugs, it is shown that combinations of "old" antirheumatic drugs (DMARD's) given in high doses and in an earlier phase of disease than previously also exert positive effects on disease course. Taken together, new strategies have been developed for the treatment of patients with RA. One such strategy, endorsed by the Swedish Rheumatology Association, is described in this paper, together with a description of a new national surveillance system for the new drugs.