Review of head-to-head study designs in rheumatoid arthritis

摘要

Objective: Treatment options available to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are ever-changing, and understanding the similarities and differences of efficacy and safety between different RA therapies is of key importance in order to facilitate treatment decisions by both the patient and physician. Very few head-to-head, peer-reviewed trials exist; instead, evidence for efficacy of treatments is often ascertained from placebo-controlled trials, registries and meta-analyses, which often do not sufficiently address the relative effectiveness of two medications.