Response to: ‘Tapering antirheumatic drugs in a resource-poor setting: real-world evidence’ by Haroon et al

We appreciate the interest in our paper by Haroon, et al . We presented the 2-year results of the TARA trial, in which we concluded that ‘financial arguments may influence the decision to taper tumour necrosis factor-inhibitors first’.1 Based on this conclusion, Haroon, et al decided to respond to that with their real-world data from a resource-poor country.2 Ideally, if patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are in sustained remission, then medication is quickly tapered and possibly stopped to reduce healthcare costs. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD)-free remission is suggested as a preferred ultimate target in a treat-to-target management approach; however, we previously showed, in a systematic literature review, that this outcome is achievable in only …