Methotrexate Discontinuation In Patients Research Articles

Two-week methotrexate discontinuation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis vaccinated with inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine: a randomised clinical trial

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect on immunogenicity and safety of 2-week methotrexate (MTX) discontinuation after each dose of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine versus MTX maintenance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsThis was...

Methotrexate use does not increase the prevalence of hepatic steatosis: a real-world retrospective nested case-control study.

We aimed to determine whether methotrexate (MTX) treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leads to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). Data were derived from records of all patients with RA who underwent abdominal ultrasonography at the Jeonbuk National University Hospital. Patients with ultrasound-proven NAFL were identified, and those without NAFL were matched by age and sex using the propensity score matching method at 1:3 ratio. We also analyzed the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Samples, a nationwide cohort database, to determine the association between MTX use and NAFL in a large number of patients (n = 24,653). In the hospital cohort, 92 patients with NAFL did not show significant differences in the cumulative MTX dose when compared with the no-NAFL group (n = 276) (1908.5 ± 1757.5 vs. 1948.6 ± 2118.8mg, p = 0.911). The prevalence of NAFL was not significantly different across strata of cumulative MTX dose. Multiple logistic analyses identified hypertriglyceridemia (OR, 4.88 [95% CI, 1.13-20.93]) and higher body mass index (OR, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.05-1.41]) as being associated with an increased risk of NAFL. In the nationwide cohort, the MTX exposure rate between the NAFL and no-NAFL groups was not significantly different. Collectively, no significant association between NAFL development and administration of MTX was detected in this study. Our results suggest that it is more efficient to adjust for individualized risk factors for NAFL prevention rather than discontinuation of MTX in patients with RA. Key Points • NAFLD has been highlighted with increasing prevalence worldwide and possible progression to end-stage liver disease. • Cumulative dose or exposure history of MTX does not show a significant association with NAFLD prevalence. • Modifying well-established risk factors is more efficient in NAFLD prevention rather than discontinuation of MTX.

Sustained Response Following Discontinuation of Methotrexate in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated With Subcutaneous Tocilizumab: Results From a Randomized, Controlled Trial.

To evaluate whether tocilizumab (TCZ) monotherapy is noninferior to treatment with TCZ plus methotrexate (MTX) for maintaining clinical responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in whom low disease activity is achieved with TCZ plus MTX. Patients with RA who experienced an inadequate response to MTX received MTX plus TCZ 162 mg subcutaneously. At 24 weeks, patients who achieved a Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) of ≤3.2 were randomized to receive TCZ monotherapy or to continue treatment with TCZ plus MTX until week 52. The primary outcome measure was the comparison of the mean change in the DAS28-ESR from week 24 to week 40 between the TCZ monotherapy and TCZ plus MTX arms (noninferiority margin of 0.6). Secondary outcome measures included worsening of the DAS28-ESR by ≥1.2, achievement of a DAS28-ESR of <2.6 and ≤3.2, and safety and immunogenicity. Among the 718 patients enrolled, 296 were randomized at week 24 to receive TCZ monotherapy (n = 147) or TCZ plus MTX (n = 147). The mean changes in the DAS28-ESR from week 24 to week 40 were 0.46 and 0.14 in the TCZ monotherapy arm and the TCZ plus MTX arm, respectively (weighted difference between the groups, 0.318 [95% confidence interval 0.045, 0.592]); discontinuing MTX in TCZ responders was noninferior to continuing MTX. Safety events were broadly similar between the randomized treatment groups; the most common serious adverse event was infection, which occurred in 2.1% of patients in the TCZ monotherapy group and 2.2% of patients receiving TCZ plus MTX. Patients with RA receiving TCZ plus MTX who achieve low disease activity can discontinue MTX without significant worsening of disease activity during the 16 weeks following MTX discontinuation.

Tapering and discontinuation of methotrexate in patients with RA treated with TNF inhibitors: data from the DREAM registry

ObjectivesTo study the number of patients that taper or discontinue concomitant methotrexate (MTX) in daily practice in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and...

Discontinuation of Methotrexate Therapy in Older Patients with Newly Diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a potentially devastating form of chronic arthritis. Methotrexate is the cornerstone of drug therapy of the disorder, and may slow or prevent joint damage. Unfortunately, this agent is not without adverse effects. Furthermore, increasing age has been been invoked as a predictor of greater toxicity and drug discontinuation by some, but not all, investigators. To assess the effect of age and other covariates on methotrexate discontinuation in a population-based sample of older patients with newly diagnosed RA. We studied the health administrative databases covering residents of the province of Québec, Canada. In these databases, we identified 246 individuals aged>or=65 years with newly diagnosed RA who had been started on methotrexate. We assessed discontinuation of methotrexate therapy using Cox proportional hazards regression models, with potential predictors of discontinuation being age, sex, co-morbidity, methotrexate dose and route (oral vs intramuscular), folic acid coadministration and disease severity. Five patients died or were lost to follow-up in the database at 6 months, and there were ten such patients at 1 year. Six months after the initial prescription of methotrexate therapy, about 80% (n=192) of remaining subjects continued to be prescribed the drug. By 1 year, 161 of 236 (68.2%) subjects continued to be prescribed the drug; by 2 years, only 108 of 217 (49.8%) subjects continued to receive the drug. Increasing age was associated with a greater risk of methotrexate discontinuation. Our population-based data indicate that increasing age is associated with a greater tendency for methotrexate discontinuation in patients with newly diagnosed RA. These results emphasize the need to ensure that older patients with RA are provided with effective therapy to minimize the effects of this chronic, potentially disabling disease.