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Combination therapy of cyclosporine with methotrexate and gold in rheumatoid arthritis (2 pilot studies)
W Bensen1, P Tugwell, R M Roberts
1Department of Medicine, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of cyclosporine A (CyA) in combination with gold and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods:
Twenty patients with RA with partial response to oral MTX and 20 patients with partial response to im gold had CyA added to their regimen for 6 months, withdrawn over 2 months and the patients monitored for 4 months.
Results:
There was a significant improvement in joint count, joint score, joint swelling, grip strength and joint pain in patients taking the combination with no significant increase in adverse reactions.
Conclusion:
CyA in combination with gold or MTX may, over a 6 month period, increase efficacy in patients with refractory RA without significant increase in toxicity.