ABSTRACT
Within rheumatic diseases, the therapeutic armamentarium has traditionally been limited
to a relatively small number of drugs. When considering drugs used in rheumatology, it is
useful to consider the therapeutic paradigm for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is the most
prevalent of the inflammatory rheumatic diseases encountered and therefore is a key
example to consider. In this chapter, we briefly review the current therapies used in RA
and consider their relative efficacy and toxicity. Evidence for the genetic basis underlying
these outcomes is then reviewed, and areas of future research are highlighted.
