抄録
Objective: The therapeutic effects of both salazosulfapyridine (SASP) and methotrexate (MTX) are known to be dose dependent, but in Japan there are dosage restrictions on both agents. With consideration of their different mechanisms of action, we retrospectively assessed the efficacy and safety of SASP and MTX as add-on combination therapy for effect insufficiency with each drug separately in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods: Of the RA patients treated at our hospital over the past 9 years, 243 were administered SASP+MTX combination therapy. The subjects of this study were 200 patients (SASP+MTX group) who took SASP+MTX for at least 12 months, and 100 patients given MTX monotherapy (MTX group).
Results: Of the 200 subjects in the SASP+MTX group, 70% had late-stage RA. Nevertheless, the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS 28) improved in this group from a mean pretreatment score of 5.87 to 3.73 after 12 months treatment. Greater improvement was seen in the SASP+MTX group than in the MTX group, with clinical remission achieved in 10% of subjects and a good response according to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response criteria in 90% of subjects.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that the additional combination therapy of SASP and MTX deserves consideration before using biological agents in the treatment of RA.
