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The importance of rheumatology biologic registries in Latin America

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Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by joint articular pain and disability. Although there is scarcity of data available on the incidence and prevalence of RA in Latin America, there is a growing recognition of this disease where chronic diseases are on the rise and infectious disease on the decline. RA is a substantial burden to patients, society, and the healthcare system. The heterogeneity identified within RA presents an opportunity for personalized medicine, especially in regions with such demographic diversity as that of Latin America. To understand the long-term effects of treatment for RA especially on safety, registries have been established, a number of which have been created in Latin America. Despite their weaknesses (e.g., lack of controls and randomization), registries have provided additional and complementary information on the use of biologics in clinical practice in Latin America and other regions. Although certain challenges remain in the implementation and maintenance of registries, they continue to provide real-life data to clinical practice contributing to improved patient care.

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Acknowledgments

Editorial/writing support was provided by WC Hatch at ACUMED® (New York, NY, USA) and was funded by Pfizer Inc. No financial support was provided to the authors for this work.

Conflict of interest

Maria de la Vega has received honorarium for consultancy work from Pfizer and Abbott. Hellen M. da Silveira de Carvalho received honorarium for consultancy work from Abbott, Roche, Janssen, MSD, and Pfizer and is a researcher for Biobadabrasil. Mavis Goycochea was Coordinator of the Research Unit of the Mexican College of Rheumatology during the BIOBADAMEX 1.0 Registry. BIOBADAMEX received unrestricted support from Bristol-Meyer Squibb, Pfizer, Roche, Schering-Plough (now Janssen Pharmaceuticals), and UCB. Gustavo Casado has received honorarium for consultancy work from Pfizer Inc, Abbot Laboratories, Roche, Jansen Pharmaceuticals, and GlaxoSmithKline.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sociedad Argentina de Reumatología, Montes de Oca 587, 21°c, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Maria de la Vega

  2. Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, Unidade de Reumatologia, Brasília, Brazil

    Hellen M. da Silveira de Carvalho

  3. Hospital General de Zona 194 IMSS, Hospital Central sur PEMEX, México City, Mexico

    Lucio Ventura Ríos

  4. HGR No. 1 IMSS, Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología, Unidad de Investigación, México City, Mexico

    Maria V. Goycochea Robles

  5. Sociedad Argentina de Reumatología, Docente Autorizado de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Hospital Militar, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Gustavo C. Casado

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  1. Maria de la Vega
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  3. Lucio Ventura Ríos
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  4. Maria V. Goycochea Robles
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  5. Gustavo C. Casado
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Correspondence to Maria de la Vega.

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de la Vega, M., da Silveira de Carvalho, H.M., Ventura Ríos, L. et al. The importance of rheumatology biologic registries in Latin America. Rheumatol Int 33, 827–835 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-012-2610-2

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