Combined disease-modifying chemotherapy for intractable rheumatoid arthritis.
When one endeavours to obtain lasting remissions in long-standing or erosive and/or highly seropositive, i.e. unrelenting, RA, combined 'aggressive' two-drug therapy appears to be reasonably well tolerated. Surprisingly, gold and D-penicillamine are not antagonistic but appear to potentiate each other to give the best results. In analogy with lymphoma and with the open trial by McCarty--and in the absence of new major 'disease-modifying' drugs--the door should be kept wide open towards controlled trials of combined three-drug chemotherapy.
D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002699:Chlorambucil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006046:Gold / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007978:Levamisole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011379:Prognosis
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D002699:Chlorambucil; D007978:Levamisole; D006046:Gold; D010396:Penicillamine