Comparing Healthcare Costs Associated with Oral and Subcutaneous Methotrexate or Biologic Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis in the United States.

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is the primary disease-modifying antirheumatic drug used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Optimizing the use of oral and subcutaneous MTX may delay the use of expensive biologic therapies; the effect of such a delay on overall medical costs is currently unknown.

Objective: To compare the 5-year healthcare costs of treatment pathways for patients with RA who initiate oral MTX in the United States.