The time of equipoise on the use of biological DMARDs in for inflammatory arthritis during pregnancy is finally over: a reappraisal of evidence to optimise pregnancy management

Ian Giles*, Iona Thorne, Nanna Surlemont Schmidt, Claire Reid, Amy Crossley, Monica Panca, Nick Freemantle, Clare Tower, Shouvik Dass, Shefali K. Sharma, David Williams, Sean O'Neill, Radboud J.E.M. Dolhain, Nataša Toplak, Kenneth Hodson, Catherine Nelson-Piercy, Megan E.B. Clowse

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Active inflammatory arthritis in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Treatment of active inflammation and maintenance of low disease activity with medication reduces these risks. Therapeutic decisions on disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in pregnancy are complicated by safety concerns, which have led to inappropriate withdrawal of treatment and consequential harm to mother and fetus. Studies of inflammatory arthritis in pregnancy have consistently shown minimal safety concerns with the use of biological DMARDs and an increased risk of disease flare with discontinuation of biological DMARDs. It is our opinion that during pregnancy, the benefits of disease control with biological DMARDs, when required in addition to conventional synthetic DMARDs, outweigh the risks. In this Series paper, we review the reasons for reconsideration of equipoise and propose an agenda for future research to optimise the use of biological DMARDs in inflammatory arthritis during pregnancy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e546-e559
JournalThe Lancet Rheumatology
Volume6
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

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Publisher Copyright: © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

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