Patient selection: rheumatoid arthritis
Criteria - all of the following:
(1) failure of appropriate treatment (see below)
(2) one or more of the following:
(2a) >= moderate disease activity
(2b) signs and symptoms of active disease
(2c) inability to taper therapy with corticosteroids (below 7.5 mg of prednisone equivalents)
(2d) rapid radiographic progression
(2e) symptoms causing a deterioration in the quality of life
(3) management perceived as problematic by the physician and/or patient
Treatment failure - all of the following:
(1) therapeutic regimen according to EULAR recommendations
(2) failure of >= 2 biological/targeted DMARDS (disease modifying antirheumatic drugs) with different mechanisms of action
(3) failure of synthetic DMARD therapy
