TUESDAY, April 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Arthritis medications known as biologic disease-modifying drugs can cost Medicare patients more than $2,700 in co-payments a year, a new report finds.
Researchers say the tab is an immense burden on patients with disabling conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic disorder that affects an estimated 1.3 million Americans.
Biologic anti-rheumatic medications -- which include drugs such as adalimumab (Humira), anakinra (Kineret) and etanercept (Enbrel) -- have allowed patients to gain better control of rheumatoid arthritis when taken early in the course of disease, the researchers explained.
