Authors' objectives:

To summarise the current research evidence on anakinra for rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Authors' recommendations: - Clinical impact: Anakinra will become an additional option for patients with RA who do not respond to initial disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy. - Service impact: Anakinra is likely to have little service impact as it is likely to be used alongside current treatments in people with moderate to severe disease. However, some patents prescribed anakinra will require help with administering injections. - Patient issues: There are unlikely to be significant patient issues raised from the introduction of anakinra for the treatment of RA, apart from the need for daily injections. - Financial and overall NHS impact: At this time the financial and overall impact are unclear but are may be significant if anakinra proves to be an effective treatment for the management of RA.

Authors' methods: Overview

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2001

URL for published report: http://www.hsric.nihr.ac.uk/search

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: England, United Kingdom

Organisation Name: NIHR Horizon Scanning Centre

Contact Address: The NIHR Horizon Scanning Centre, Department of Public Health, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, School of Health and Population Sciences, University of Birmingham, 90 Vincent Drive, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2SP. United Kingdom. Tel: +44 121 414 7831, Fax: +44 121 2269

Contact Name: c.packer@bham.ac.uk

Contact Email: c.packer@bham.ac.uk

Copyright: National Horizon Scanning Centre