Gallup E
Manag Care Interface. 2001 Jul;14(7):52-4, 57-8, 69.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive disease that leads to functional disability and substantial medical costs. Early treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has been shown to inhibit the progression of RA, with accompanying improvements in functional outcome and long-term medical costs. Biologic response modifiers (BRMs) are a new class of therapeutic agents for RA that offer a more favorable side-effect profile than traditional DMARDs. One BRM, the self-injectable medication etanercept, has demonstrated great potential for improving the long-term prognosis of patients with RA. Unfortunately, patients' access to treatment with etanercept is sometimes limited because of the structure of health-care coverage for self-injectable drugs.
类风湿性关节炎（RA）是一种会导致功能残疾和产生巨额医疗费用的进行性疾病。使用改善病情抗风湿药（DMARDs）进行早期治疗已被证明可抑制RA的进展，并随之改善功能预后和降低长期医疗费用。生物反应调节剂（BRMs）是一类新型的RA治疗药物，与传统DMARDs相比，其副作用更小。其中一种BRM，即可自行注射的药物依那西普，已显示出改善RA患者长期预后的巨大潜力。不幸的是，由于自行注射药物的医保覆盖结构，患者获得依那西普治疗的机会有时受到限制。
