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薬理と治療
Abstract
Objectives Previous clinical studies have demonstrated that iguratimod(IGU) monotherapy and concomitant IGU therapy with methotrexate are effective in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA). However, the clinical profile of this drug has not been sufficiently clarified yet. We investigated the efficacy and safety of IGU in RA patients treated in our hospital. Patients and Methods Seventeen RA patients(12 females)who received IGU were observed in this retrospective study. The mean age of the patients was 69±11(SD)years, and the mean duration of disease was 8.7±11.5 years. As concomitant treatment, nine patients received methotrexate(8.4±3.3 mg╱week), six patients were given biologics, and 14 patients used glucocorticoids(prednisolone equivalent dose:5.8±2.4 mg╱day). The disease activity score(DAS)28︱ erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)was monitored until 24 weeks after the start of IGU therapy. Results In week 24, 10╱17 patients(58.8%)remained on IGU therapy and 7 patients had discontinued it.Three patients discontinued IGU due to side effects(gastrointestinal symptoms),three patients discontinued due to lack of efficacy, and one patient discontinued due to difficulty in attending hospital. When the 17 patients were divided into two groups with an RA duration of six years or more versus less than six years, a trend of greater efficacy was observed in the latter group and there was little change of DAS28︱ESR in the former group. The incidence of adverse reactions and abnormal laboratory test results was 58.8% and 41.2%, respectively. Conclusion IGU therapy improved disease activity in RA patients with a relatively short duration of disease.
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