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Subsidised access to TNFα inhibitors: is the rationale for exclusion of rheumatoid-factor-negative patients defensible?

Christine Y Lu, Kenneth M Williams, Lyn March, James V Bertouch and Richard O Day
Med J Aust 2004; 181 (8): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06378.x
Published online: 18 October 2004

Christine Y Lu,* Kenneth M Williams,† Lyn March,‡ James V Bertouch,§ Richard O Day¶


  • 2 Therapeutics Centre, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of New South Wales, Victoria St, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW 2010.
  • 3 Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney, St Leonards, NSW.
  • 4 Department of Rheumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW.



Competing interests:

Richard Day is a member of the Advisory Board to sponsors of adalimumab and infliximab, but all payments are received into an audited trust account for research. Ken Williams is a member of the Advisory Board and has been an advisor to the sponsor of adalimumab (Abbott), but has not received recompense. Lyn March is chairperson of the Australian Rheumatology Association Database Steering Committee and, in this capacity, has negotiated with sponsors of etanercept, adalimumab, infliximab, anakinra and leflunomide for educational grants that have been placed in audited trust funds in the Australian Rheumatology Association and the University of Sydney. James Bertouch has been an advisor to sponsors of adalimumab, infliximab, etanercept, anakinra and leflunomide. Recompense received for clinical trials has been placed in audited hospital trust funds for use in the research activities of the Rheumatology Unit, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney.

  • 1. Lu CY, Williams K, Day R, et al. Access to high cost drugs in Australia [editorial]. BMJ 2004; 329: 415-416.
  • 2. Kim JM, Weisman MH. When does rheumatoid arthritis begin and why do we need to know? Arthritis Rheum 2000; 43: 473-484.
  • 3. Bathon JM, Martin RW, Fleischmann RM, et al. A comparison of etanercept and methotrexate in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. N Engl J Med 2000; 343: 1586-1593.
  • 4. Anderson JJ, Wells G, Verhoeven AC, Felson DT. Factors predicting response to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis — the importance of disease duration. Arthritis Rheum 2000; 43: 22-29.
  • 5. Padyukov L, Lampa J, Heimburger M, et al. Genetic markers for the efficacy of tumour necrosis factor blocking therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2003; 62: 526-529.

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