To study x-ray development and clinical effects, tolerability and safety after 2 years treatment of RA patients with Reumacon (CPH82) or methotrexate (MTX).
This study is a 74 week open continuation of a 24 week double blind comparison of 100 patients with early RA (disease duration less than 2 years) treated either with Reumacon or MTX.
The mean Larsen scores and the mean number of erosions increased significantly from baseline to 24 weeks and from 24 weeks to endpoint in both groups with no significant difference between them. Both groups had improved significantly in all clinical variables after 24 weeks and this improvement was sustained after two years.
Radiological progression in patients treated with CPH82 was similar to that in patients treated with MTX. The clinical effect of the two drugs was sustained over the two year trial in both treatment groups.