A three year comparative multicenter study of auranofin (AF) and gold sodium thiomalate (GST) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
After some open trials had shown a promising efficacy and side-effect profile of the oral gold compound auranofin, we considered it worthwhile to conduct a double-blind comparison of auranofin (AF) and gold sodium thiomalate (GST) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. One Austrian and four German centres (Table I) participated in the study, which was conducted from 1979 to 1983. It has to be pointed out that originally the trial was planned only for one year but during this first year it was decided to continue the study after the double-blind phase of 48 weeks as an open trial. Investigators were allowed to either continue patients on their active study medication for one more year, switch patients from GST to auranofin or withdraw the patients from the protocol. At the end of the second year investigators were asked to continue the open phase of the trial for one more year, but to switch patients from GST to AF if possible.