When used at the recommended doses, treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs, a relatively new class of drugs for RA treatment does not increase the risk of serious adverse events, according to a report in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

At high doses, however, anti-TNF agents double the risk of serious infections, the findings suggest.

The findings stem from a review of data from 18 trials identified through a search of MEDLINE and other sources through December 2007. Included in the analysis were 8800 subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and the average follow-up period was 0.8 years.

Treatment with anti-TNF agents at the recommended doses did not significantly increase the risks of death, serious adverse events, serious infection, lymphoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, or non-cutaneous cancers plus melanoma, lead author Dr. J. P. Leombruno, from the University of Toronto, and colleagues note.

By contrast, use of anti-TNF agents at two-to-three times the recommended doses did increase the risk of serious infections. However, further analysis showed that this risk fell as trial duration increased.

SOURCE: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases for July 2009.