A new drug combination for rheumatoid arthritis treats the disease just as well as other intensive treatment strategies but with less medication and fewer side effects at a significantly lower cost.
Doctoral researcher Diederik De Cock (KU Leuven) describes the strategy in a new study published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic auto-immune disease that causes pain and stiffness in the joints, fatigue, bone damage and, eventually, loss of mobility. RA afflicts around 1% of people in the western world; in Belgium, 80,000 to 100,000 people currently live with the disease.
Because there is no known cure for RA, physicians focus treatment on suppressing disease activity. Therapies have improved in recent years, and clinical studies show that intensive treatment of early RA can prevent joint damage and improve patients’ quality of life.
In the two-year study, called ‘CareRA’ (Care in early RA), researchers and clinicians in the rheumatology unit at University Hospitals Leuven examined various therapies for early RA. Their goal: to find the optimal combination and dosage of three commonly prescribed antirheumatic drugs (methotrexate, sulfasalazine and leflunomide) in combination with glucocorticoids (a class of steroid hormones).
The researchers divided 290 early RA patients into three treatment groups. Each group received a different combination therapy: ‘COBRA Classic’ (methotrexate, sulfasalazine and a high first dose of glucocorticoids), ‘COBRA Slim’ (methotrexate and a moderate dose of glucocorticoids) or ‘COBRA Avant-Garde’ (methotrexate, leflunomide and a moderate dose of glucocorticoids).
Fewer side effects
All three strategies showed a similarly high efficacy: disease remission was achieved in 7 in 10 patients after 16 weeks of treatment. But results for the strategies varied significantly when it came to side effects.
The new COBRA Slim strategy, which calls for the least amount of medication, had half as many side effects as the two other strategies – and was just as effective. The strategy would also be easier to implement in daily practice because it is less complicated.
A broader use of this strategy would lead to higher remission rates in the global early RA population and would probably reduce the need for expensive second-line antirheumatic treatment, say the researchers.
The Latest on: Rheumatoid arthritis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”rheumatoid arthritis” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Pipeline Outlook, FDA Approvals, Clinical Trials and Companies 2024 (Updated)on May 9, 2024 at 5:28 pm
Detailed price information for Epam Systems Inc (EPAM-N) from The Globe and Mail including charting and trades.
- Anaptys Announces First Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Provides Business Updateon May 9, 2024 at 3:14 pm
Enrollment ongoing for global Phase 2b trial to treat atopic dermatitis (AD) with ANB032, our BTLA agonist; reiterating top-line data anticipated ...
- Antioxidant-rich diets may improve outcomes in Endometriosis-related rheumatoid arthritis in women: Studyon May 9, 2024 at 7:45 am
Antioxidant-rich diets may improve outcomes in Endometriosis-related rheumatoid arthritis in women suggests a study published in the International Journal of Women's Health.A study was done ...
- Aqtual to Present Data on Innovative Approach to Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy Selection at CCR East 2024on May 9, 2024 at 6:00 am
Aqtual, Inc., a precision medicine company using its novel cell-free DNA platform to develop products for chronic diseases and oncology, today announced it is presenting two posters at the Congress of ...
- Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis May Experience Peripheral Nociplastic Painon May 8, 2024 at 6:25 am
Investigators aimed to characterize the extent of nociplastic-like and nociceptive inflammatory pain experienced by patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.
- I Thought an Arthritis Diagnosis Would End My Running Career. A Year Later, I Finished My First Marathon.on May 7, 2024 at 10:15 pm
After Laura Robinson was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, she was afraid she'd have to quit running, a sport she'd loved her whole life.
- Treat-to-Target Strategy Results in Long-Term Remission in Rheumatoid Arthritison May 7, 2024 at 6:45 am
Researchers assessed whether the positive results of a treat-to-target approach for rheumatoid and undifferentiated arthritis persisted long-term.
- Researchers unveil unique autoantibody profiles in rheumatoid arthritis patientson May 2, 2024 at 6:42 am
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) all have a unique and diverse set of antibodies that are involved in the development of the disease.
- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have unique and complex autoantibody patterns, study revealson April 30, 2024 at 9:00 pm
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) all have a unique and diverse set of antibodies that are involved in the development of the disease. Researchers at Utrecht University unveiled the complexity ...
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Have Unique Autoantibody Patternson April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) all have a unique and diverse set of antibodies that are involved in the development of the disease. Researchers at Utrecht University unveiled the complexity ...
via Bing News