Effects of Combination Therapy of Methotrexate with Sulfasalazine and Hydroxychloroquine: Comparative Clinical Trial

Aims: To study the role of two combination therapies in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Study Design: This an open-label, randomized 180-days clinical trial.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, BMSI and Medical unit ward 6.

Methodology: Eighty-nine patients were enrolled (69 women, 20 men; age range 28-62 years). A and B were the groups assigned to the patients. MTX 7.5-20 mg/ week orally and SSZ 10-20 mg / day orally as maximally tolerated were prescribed to the 55 patients of group A. MTX 7.5-20 mg/ week orally and HCQ 200 mg twice daily were prescribed to the 54 patients of group B..

Results: When we compared group A with group B, group A showed major progress in mean swollen joint count (1.9 ± 0.97) as compared to group B (2.7 ± 1.78). Group B showed major progress in mean physician’s global assessment (2.7 ± 0.92) as compared to group A (3.8 ± 1.22). For that reason, our study showed that patients receiving both the combinations responded equally in terms of efficacy but the combination of MTX and HCQ is better tolerated than the combination of MTX and SSZ.

Conclusion: Both combinations of MTX & SSZ and MTX & HCQ were equally effective but the combination of MTX & HCQ was superior in terms of tolerability than the combination of MTX and SSZ.