<p>My son has been on biologics for 8 years for ankylosing spondylitis. Again, a different type of arthritis, but they have been his miracle drugs!!! Many, if not most, insurances require that patients try methotrexate prior to biologics due to the high cost of biologics. For my son, mtx was useless- his Dr. discontinued it about 6 months after he started Enbrel. Type 2 collagen has no proven track record w/ RA although it does not appear to cause adverse effects. We researched thoroughly before starting our son on Enbrel (he is currently on Humira) and concluded that he would suffer permanent joint damage w/o it. He gets blood tests every 8 weeks and has had absolutely no side effects in 8 years. As far as benefits, he went from severe joint pain in hips, knees, ankles and lower back - to the point that it was difficult to walk- to playing a college sport. His symptoms return quickly if he misses a dose. Just don’t rule the biologics out!</p>