Rheumatoid arthritis patients from racial and ethnic minority groups are far less likely than white patients to receive the standard drugs that slow joint damage and disability, according to a new analysis of federal data. Researchers using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey found that 23.9% of white adults reporting rheumatoid arthritis were taking a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), compared with just 14.1% of Black patients, 18.8% of Hispanic patients, 7.9% of Asian patients, and 12.6% of those identifying as other or multiple ethnicities
These gaps persisted even after adjusting for income, education, insurance, region, and other chronic illnesses, highlighting a stark racial and ethnic gradient in access to guideline-recommended treatment. Biologic DMARD use was especially unequal, with overall rates between 2.2% and 6.3% and the lowest levels among Black patients. For conventional agents such as methotrexate, white patients again had the highest use, while Asian patients had the lowest.
Specialist access emerged as a key lever. Fewer than one-third of any racial group had seen a rheumatologist in the past year, with rates of 31.1% for white patients, 19.1% for Black patients, 23.2% for Hispanic patients, 17.2% for Asian patients, and 24.7% for other or multiple ethnicities. When patients did see a rheumatologist, DMARD uptake improved, which the authors said “suggest[s] a potential mechanism to advance pharmacoequity in RA.” They added that better rheumatology access “may help mitigate these disparities.”
See: “Standard-of-Care Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis Lags for Minority Groups” (December 2, 2025)
