Timegadine: more than a non-steroidal for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A controlled, double-blind study

Timegadine is a tri-substituted guanidine derivative which inhibits both arachidonate cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase activity. In a 24-week randomized double-blind controlled trial, timegadine 500 mg/day was compared with naproxen 750 mg/day in two groups of 20 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. In the timegadine group, significant improvements were seen in both biochemical and clinical markers of disease activity, i.e. ESR, serum IgG and IgM, leukocyte and platelet counts, duration of morning stiffness, Ritchie index, number of swollen joints, pain, and general condition. In the naproxen group, only the Ritchie index improved. Differences between treatments, when present, were always in favour of timegadine. Serum alkaline phosphatase rose during the first 8 weeks of treatment in the timegadine group. A transient rise was also seen in the naproxen group. The side effects reported were mainly gastrointestinal and allergic, the latter being more frequently found in the timegadine group. Timegadine is superior to naproxen in controlling disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis, and appears to possess disease-modifying properties.