For the first time, a multicentre study headed up by MedUni Vienna has compared the action of two rheumatoid arthritis drugs from the same class. The study established that the two TNF inhibitors investigated are equally effective. It was also shown that, if treatment is failing, patients can benefit from an "on-the-fly" switch from one drug to the other. For example, 40% of patients responded positively to the "new" drug. This could result in a paradigm shift in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The study has now been published in the leading journal The Lancet.
