Tumor necrosis factor alpha drugs in rheumatoid arthritis: systematic review and metaanalysis of efficacy and safety.

Background: To analyse available evidence on the efficacy and safety of anti-TNFalpha drugs (infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab) for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We searched systematically for randomised controlled clinical trials on treatment of RA with anti-TNFalpha drugs, followed by a systematic review with metaanalysis. Trials were searched from MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases.