RoActemra vs Humira… and the winner is?

Two drugs given to people for rheumatoid arthritis have been compared in a trial and data confirms that RoActemra (tocilizumab)  is better than Humira (adalimumab) in achieving disease remission when neither is used with methotrexate.

Published in The Lancet, data showed that over 50% of people with rheumatoid arthritis can achieve low disease activity or remission with RoActemra compared to less than 20% of those treated with Humira when neither drug is combined with methotrexate.

The study is good news for those who cannot tolerate methotrexate (about one-third of people experience side effects such as nausea, mouth ulcers and skin conditions) as they can now opt for RoActemra alone.