Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology
Volume 24, Issue 4 , Pages 457-461, August 2010

Challenges in clinical trial design in inflammatory arthritis☆

  • James R. O'Dell, MD (Larson Professor and Vice-Chairman Internal Medicine, Chief of Rheumatology, Residency Program Director)

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationTel.: +1 402 559 7288; Fax: +1 402 559 6788.

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Omaha Veteran Administration Hospital, 983025 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198-3025, USA

The prognosis for patients with rheumatoid arthritis has improved dramatically, thanks in large part to many new therapies and therapeutic approaches. Paradoxically, this has created problems for rheumatologists since clinically useful information from appropriate clinical trials has not kept pace with all the new therapeutic options. Essentially, rheumatologists now have many more therapeutic options than they know what to do with. This article discusses why we are in this situation and suggests opportunities to move forward.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, clinical trials, comparative effectiveness research, ethics

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☆ RA: Trial design crisis in the midst of an abundance of therapeutic options. Or – If we don't change direction soon, we will end up where we are going.

PII: S1521-6942(09)00144-2

doi:10.1016/j.berh.2009.11.008

Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology
Volume 24, Issue 4 , Pages 457-461, August 2010

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