Tapering conventional synthetic DMARDs towards sustained drug-free remission in rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that often requires lifelong treatment. Management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis has improved due to timely treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) aimed at sustained remission. As a result, rheumatoid arthritis has become a more controllable disease, in which clinical remission has become a reachable outcome for an increasing number of patients. When in remission, the benefits of treatment might not be balanced with the burden of taking the medication (including adverse events and costs), and tapering and discontinuation might be an attractive option for some patients.