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Adalimumab (Humira), a monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor (TNF), is one of three TNF antagonists used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This double-blind study (sponsored by the maker of adalimumab) involved 799 patients with early, moderate-to-severe RA who had never been treated with methotrexate; the patients were randomized to receive adalimumab alone, methotrexate alone, or both drugs. According to the authors, this is the first three-way comparison between an anti-TNF drug, methotrexate, and combination therapy in patients not treated previously with methotrexate.
At 1 year, combination-therapy patients were significantly more likely than patients who received adalimumab or methotrexate monotherapy (62% vs. 41% or 46%)…