BSR and BHPR guidelines on the use of rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

The Standards, Audit and Guidelines Working Group (SAGWG) of the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) have recently updated the guidelines on eligibility for anti-TNF drugs in RA [1] and have updated the anti-TNF safety and efficacy guidelines [2] for general use of the rheumatology community. The National Institute for Heath and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, which is the is an independent organization responsible for providing national guidance in the UK on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health, has published a technology appraisal guidance [3] for use of rituximab in RA in 2007. Furthermore, a consensus statement from EULAR [4] was also published in 2007. Therefore, it was felt appropriate to undertake a review of the currently available data as new evidence was available. The group did not wish to duplicate the guidance in those documents, but wished to review the more recent evidence and supplement what is already known.