[Tiopronin in 69 cases of rheumatoid polyarthritis treated earlier with D-penicillamine]

This study concerns 69 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and having received successively D-penicillamine (DP) then, after a mean period of 2 years, tiopronin (TP) at a daily dose of 1,500 mg. TP demonstrated an as frequent, as marked, and as prolonged effectiveness as that of DP. 28 patients are still under TP treatment, with a mean length of treatment of 43.7 months. The rate of effectiveness of TP was similar, whether or not the response to DP was favorable: 64.1 and 64.3 p. cent respectively; 72.4 p. cent of the 29 cases which did not respond to DP, responded favorably to TP. The manifestations of intolerance to TP were similar in nature (including the first reported case of obstructive bronchiolitis) and frequency to those observed with DP. There were only a few manifestations of crossed intolerance: the rate of TP discontinuation because of intolerance was the same, whether the DP was well tolerated (29.6%) or discontinued because of poor tolerance (30%). The same undesirable effect was only observed in 4 cases: one case of pemphigus, another case of toxic dermatitis, 2 proteinurias. This study confirms that TP represents a new, major long-term treatment of RA and demonstrates that this very product is an excellent take over medication.