Letters2 March 2010Cost-Effectiveness of Biologics in Early Rheumatoid ArthritisAxel Finckh, MD, MS, Nick Bansback, MS, and Matthew H. Liang, MD, MPHAxel Finckh, MD, MSFrom Geneva University Hospital, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; University of British Columbia, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, V6Z 1Y6 British Columbia, Canada; and Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.Search for more papers by this author, Nick Bansback, MSFrom Geneva University Hospital, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; University of British Columbia, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, V6Z 1Y6 British Columbia, Canada; and Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.Search for more papers by this author, and Matthew H. Liang, MD, MPHFrom Geneva University Hospital, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland; University of British Columbia, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, V6Z 1Y6 British Columbia, Canada; and Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-152-5-201003020-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We appreciate Boers' (1) ideas about our cost-effectiveness study (2), but some require comment. He says, “Curiously, the investigators shy away from a firm conclusion, instead stating that the cost-effectiveness of early biologics is still uncertain.” We feel that the case cannot be closed for at least 3 major reasons.First, the long-term effects of very early initiation of aggressive antirheumatic therapy, and biologic therapy in particular, are largely unknown. These include long-term effects on mortality, the need for joint replacement, and the rate of disability decades after starting these therapeutic strategies.Second, other variables profoundly affect ...