The objectives of a study by van Vollenhoven et al. (A-10) were to examine the effectiveness of etanercept alone and etanercept in combination with methotrexate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers conducted a retrospective study using data from the STURE database, which collects efficacy and safety data for all patients starting biological treatments at the major hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden. The researchers identified 40 subjects who were prescribed etanercept only and 57 subjects who were given etanercept with methotrexate. Using a 100-mm visual analogue scale (the higher the value, the greater the pain), researchers found that after 3 months of treatment, the mean pain score was 36.4 with a standard error of the mean of 5.5 for subjects taking etanercept only. In the sample receiving etanercept plus methotrexate, the mean score was 30.5 with a standard error of the mean of 4.6.