‘Too little too late’ in arthritis care

Modern, expensive therapies which help the body’s immune system fight the disease can stop it in its tracks, economist Tony Hockley said.

But in England, patients have to become quite disabled before they are taken off traditional, cheaper treatments which tackle the symptoms.

Mr Hockley, an expert on pharmaceutical economics at the London School of Economics, studied the treatment guidelines in England and 11 EU member states.

He found the threshold for treatment with modern biologic therapies was higher than elsewhere.

To be prescribed a biologic therapy a patient needed to have failed to respond to two disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.

Mr Hockley, co-author of the report said: “The potential to tackle rheumatoid arthritis and limit the burden of the disease is now well established, but the will to do so in some countries appears to be weak. Of the 12 countries studied, this lack of will is most evident in England.”