Drug Effective for Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Drug Effective for Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

May 24, 2002 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A commonly used once-a-day pill used to

treat adults with rheumatoid diseases also appears to work well for children

with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Nearly half of the 36 patients tested responded well to the treatment after

four weeks and nearly three-quarters had a positive response by week 52 of a

new study. In addition to relieving the joint pain and other symptoms of

arthritis, the COX-2 inhibitor meloxicam (Mobic) resulted in fewer

gastrointestinal side effects common with other drugs.

The study, by researchers in Mexico and Germany, is the first to evaluate

the use of a selective COX-2 inhibitor in the pediatric patient population.

Researchers enrolled 36 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA,

in their study. All of the patients received 0.25 mg/kg dose daily for up to

52 weeks.

Of the 31 patients who completed the study, 44 percent had a positive

response after one month of treatment, 62 percent after three months, and 74

percent after one year. Adverse drug-related side effects occurred in five

of the children and consisted mainly of abdominal pain, diarrhea or nausea.

No serious gastrointestinal effects, such as ulcers or bleeding in the

gastrointestinal tract, were seen.

The researchers conclude meloxicam used once a day is safe and effective for

the treatment of children with rheumatoid arthritis.

SOURCE: Journal of Rheumatology, 2002;29:1079-1083