News - Weekly Methotrexate As Effective as Twice-Weekly For Rheumatoid Arthritis

[Guest guest]

Weekly Methotrexate As Effective as Twice-Weekly For Rheumatoid Arthritis

A DGReview of : " Methotrexate twice weekly vs once weekly in rheumatoid

arthritis: a pilot double-blind, controlled study "

Rheumatology International

05/29/2002

By Anne MacLennan

Twice-weekly methotrexate for patients with rheumatoid arthritis is no more

efficient than is the currently used once-weekly regimen, suggests a study

from India.

Researchers from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences,

Lucknow, undertook this 16-week double blind, controlled trial of

twice-weekly versus weekly regimens of methotrexate (MTX).

Eighty people fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria

for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) participated in this study. The researchers

determined patients achieving ACR scores of 20 and 50 at both eight and 16

weeks and also examined the incidence of hepatotoxicity.

Of the 80 patients, 66 completed eight weeks of study and 53 completed 16

weeks. Most of those who withdrew from the study did so because of

inefficacy.

At eight weeks, the ACR 20 response (24/34 in once weekly and 22/32 in twice

weekly) and ACR 50 response (16/34 in once weekly and 16/32 in twice weekly)

in both groups were similar.

Even at 16 weeks, there was no significant difference in ACR 20 and ACR 50

responses. There were similar results in an intent-to-treat analysis.

Five patients in each group had a mild reversible rise in transaminases.

Rheumatol Int (2002) 22: 1-4.