Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common causes of disability in the Western world. New data released that show rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with Abbott's Humira (adalimumab) stayed working longer, had fewer absences and reported greater improvements in work performance.

Results from three studies were presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) annual congress in Barcelona. One groundbreaking study, PRevention Of Work Disability (PROWD), investigated the effect that Humira therapy can have on the length of time RA patients remain at work. This was the first prospective, placebo-controlled, anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) study that investigated this effect.

PROWD showed that significantly more patients taking methotrexate (MTX) alone reported job loss or imminent job loss after 56 weeks compared with those treated with a combination of Humira and MTX.

A second study of patient-reported measures in paid workers and homemakers with early RA suggested that treatment with Humira and MTX significantly improved their ability to perform their responsibilities at two years. A third study showed that RA patients treated with Humira worked significantly longer compared with patients taking disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

"The data show that treatment with Humira may allow patients to be more productive both at home and in the workplace," said Paul Emery, MD, professor of rheumatology, Leeds University, UK.

Five million people worldwide - mostly between the ages of 25 and 55 - are currently living with RA, which most often affects the hands, feet and wrists. Typically, joint damage can occur within two years of the onset of the disease. RA can interfere with a person's ability to work due to joint pain, fatigue and joint tenderness and damage. Several studies have shown that patients with RA have limited employment possibilities and reduced productivity at work.