Biologic and targeted synthetic DMARD safety in inflammatory arthritis: British Society for Rheumatology guideline scope

Journal article : Review

Lay Summary: What does this mean for patients? Children, young people and adults with inflammatory arthritis (IA) may require treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) or targeted synthetic DMARDs (tsDMARDs). These drugs are often used for people with IA who have not responded sufficiently to conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs). There are many different types of b/tsDMARDs, with different names. We acknowledge that people with IA may know these drugs by their proprietary (brand) names, but in this document we will refer to specific drugs by their generic (common) names. In 2019, the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) published a safety guideline for the use of bDMARDs in adults with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and seronegative spondyloarthritis (including axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis). This guideline is being updated to reflect new evidence that has emerged and to include new drugs that have become available since the last guideline. In addition, the guideline now covers more areas to better support people with IA, for example, now including children and young people and advice on newer treatments. The updated guideline will inform healthcare professionals involved in the management of IA, as well as people with IA, their families, their caregivers and organisations for people with IA. This article describes the scope of the upcoming guideline, which will be updated and produced according to the BSR methods and processes for developing clinical guidelines. To this end, the BSR has formed a group of people comprising a range of healthcare professionals and experts by experience to write the new guideline.

Authors: Ling, SF; Bennett, JL; Reid, VJ; Ahmed, S; Ahmad, MM

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: Rheumatology Advances in Practice
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 4
• Article number: rkaf104
• Publication date: 2025-10-14
• Acceptance date: 2025-09-01
• DOI: 10.1093/rap/rkaf104
• EISSN: 2514-1775
• ISSN: 2514-1775
• Language: English
• Keywords: biological therapy; safety; DMARD; guideline; Rheumatoid arthritis; JAK inhibitor; axial spondyloarthritis; juvenile arthritis; psoriatic arthritis
• Subtype: Review