Biologic registries in rheumatology: lessons learned and expectations for the future

Abstract

Biologic registries have been established in several countries to supplement information obtained from randomized controlled trials with regards to the efficacy and safety of biologic agents in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. The unique features that characterized several of the cohorts included in these registries allow analysis to answer certain research questions such as the relation of biologic use and the incidence of tuberculosis, lymphoma, or its effect on pregnancy. The availability of such population-specific registries in Europe with different biologic uses, comorbidity patterns, and various socio-demographic and geographic factors provides real-life information valuable to clinical practice in the management of rheumatic diseases. Certain challenges including logistics, methodologies, human, and financial resources, remain in the implementation and maintenance of registries and steps have been proposed to address these issues.