• pericarditis
• anti-tumour necrosis factor α
• rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common cause of disability and deformity for which treatment is often of limited value in controlling the disease process and outcome.¹

Infliximab (chimeric antibody to tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα)) is clearly efficacious in up to 70% of patients, but treatment may be complicated by the development of infections that are occasionally serious and life threatening. Pooled analysis reported a 21% incidence of infection among 453 patients treated with infliximab compared with an 11% incidence in 109 placebo recipients.² Infections considered serious occurred in 3.4% and 1.8% of patients, respectively. As of August 2001, 84 of 170 000 patients treated with infliximab world wide had developed active tuberculosis, including 14 deaths.