During the Symposium on Advances in Targeted Therapies two groups met to discuss issues regarding clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis. This has been a most eventful time for rheumatology. In the past decade six biological response modifiers have been approved. There has been universal acceptance of earlier intervention to treat this disease and the success of combination therapies. And we have evidence that measuring disease activity quantitatively and adjusting drug therapy based on these measurements can improve the course of the disease, resulting in a better outcome for the patients with regard to, for instance, functional capacity and quality of life.

However, despite the significant advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, remission still is generally not an achievable goal. The discussion during this meeting addressed issues regarding current trial design …