The British Society for Rheumatology biologic DMARD safety guidelines in inflammatory arthritis

The use of biologic therapies has transformed the management of inflammatory arthritis (IA). In contrast to conventional systemic DMARDs (csDMARDs) traditionally used to treat inflammatory disease, these agents offer a targeted approach, and their widespread use has resulted in disease remission becoming an increasingly achievable goal. Biologic therapies are not without potential risk, and hence it is important that clinicians are aware of these risks and ensure that appropriate precautions are taken to minimize them. Information on the safety of biologic therapies continues to be collected through national registries, clinical and cohort studies and case series and reports.NICE has accredited the process used by the BSR to produce its guidance on the safety of biologic DMARDs in inflammatory arthritis. Accreditation is valid for 5 years from 10 June 2013This guideline supersedes the previous BSR/BHPR anti-TNF [1], rituximab (RTX) [2] and tocilizumab (TCZ) [3] guidelines and has been developed in line with the BSR Guidelines Protocol.