Drug persistence, effectiveness and safety assessment of anti-TNF therapies in psoriatic arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Anti-TNF therapies have been introduced for the management of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). There is a need to assess their effectiveness and safety in clinical practice. AREAS COVERED: This review examines the emerging evidence of effectiveness, safety and drug persistence of anti-TNF therapies in PsA. It also assesses their impact on quality of life and physical functioning in patients with PsA, as well as potential predictors associated with changes in these domains. Several studies from different countries have demonstrated the effectiveness of the anti-TNF therapies in the management of PsA. These therapies have also been shown to be safe and well tolerated over a median usage of 3 years when compared to conventional disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. They also improved quality of life and physical functioning of patients suffering from PsA. EXPERT OPINION: Anti-TNF therapies are effective and safe in the management of PsA. Improvements in disease activity have been shown to be associated with improvements in quality of life of PsA patients receiving anti-TNF therapies.