OBJECTIVES: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease in childhood affecting about 1 in 1000 children. The objectives of this study were to analyze drug utilization in JIA, particularly the use of anti-TNFs and to estimate health care resources utilization associated with JIA management. METHODS: A retrospective prescription claims analysis of a random sample of patients from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) provincial health plan (Québec, Canada) database was conducted. Data of patients with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and aged less than 20 years were obtained for the period from January 1998 to December 2009. Healthcare resources consumed by patients with JIA were identified in terms of visits to physicians, physician’s interventions, arthritis related medications, other medications, emergency visits and hospitalizations. RESULTS: Data were obtained from the RAMQ for a total of 995 patients with a mean age of 11.4 years (SD=5.2). Anti-TNFs were used by 32 patients (3.2%).  In the year following initiation of anti-TNF treatment, reductions in all healthcare resources used were observed, the greatest decreases being for the average number of medical visits per patient (before/after: 14.7 vs. 8.1) and average number of physician’s interventions per patient (before/after: 5.8 vs. 3.3). Decreases in costs of all healthcare resources were also seen and costs associated with hospitalization decrease significantly by an average of CAN$1,356 per patient (p<0.05) in the year following the initiation of anti-TNF treatment.  CONCLUSIONS: Anti-TNFs have demonstrated significant clinical benefits and on other aspects of JIA patients’ lives, such as functionality, school performance, or health-related quality of life. Results of these claims analyses showed that the use of anti-TNFs was associated with decreases in healthcare utilization in the year following initiation of treatment which translated in reductions in the cost of healthcare resources for JIA patients.