Financial aspects of biological treatment of rheumatoid and juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients participating in therapeutic programmes of NFZ in years 2004-2008

The aim of the study was to evaluate the implementation of therapeutic programmes providing biological treatment to rheumatoid and juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients in Poland in years 2004-2009. The treatment was carried out at 81 sites in Poland. A total of 8160 patients took part in the therapeutic programmes in the years 2004-2008. In 2008 the number of treated patients reached 2282, which equals 2% of all rheumatoid arthritis cases in Poland. Approximately 72% of them were females of average age 45-55. Etanercept was the drug used most frequently, less often infliximab, while adalimumab and rituximab were used rarely. Financial resources assigned by NFZ for biological therapies are not entirely utilized; in 2008 about 13.5% of them remained available.
In conclusion we suggest that in order to expand the number of patients treated with biological agents in Poland, better handling of currently available resources and further increase in their amount is needed.