Pharmacoepidemiology and rheumatic disorders.

This article reviews the application of pharmacoepidemiology in the evaluation of drugs that are used commonly for rheumatic disorders. Data sources and methodology considerations for these studies are highlighted. The topics that are covered included the safety evaluation of nonsteroidal ant-inflammatory drugs, adverse pregnancy outcomes of pharmaceutical agents, gastroduodenal safety of alendronate, long-term beneficial effects of methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis, and drug use study.