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Advent of biologics extended life expectancy but also expenses for RA patients
Key clinical point: Life expectancy increased for RA patients after the adoption of biologics, but an average loss of life expectancy of nearly 5 years persisted when compared with controls.
Major finding: The lifetime cost of RA was estimated at $72,953 (U.S. dollars) after the availability of biologics.
Study details: The data come from a review of 29,352 new cases of RA between 2003 and 2016 based on claims from the National Health Insurance of Taiwan.
Disclosures: The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, and China Medical University Hospital. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Chiu Y-M et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020 Dec 8. doi: 10.1002/ART.41597.