These medications can't cure rheumatoid arthritis (RA). If the drugs are stopped, symptoms may return. But just as with other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, biologic response modifiers may slow the progression of the disease or help put it into remission. If your doctor prescribes one of these RA drugs, you will likely take it in combination with methotrexate. Biologic response modifiers are taken by injection and/or by IV and are expensive. Their long-term effects are unknown.
Before taking biologics, it's important to get appropriate vaccinations and to be tested for tuberculosis and hepatitis B and C.