Key clinical point: Patients with newly diagnosed psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who initiated methotrexate showed similar rates of methotrexate retention; however, the addition of any other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) to the treatment regimen was more rapid in RA vs PsA.
Major finding: Overall, 71% of patients with PsA and 76% of patients with RA remained on methotrexate at 2 years after initiating methotrexate. The risk for adding any other DMARD to the treatment regimen was greater in the RA vs PsA group (adjusted hazard ratio 0.86; 95% CI 0.77-0.96), with methotrexate monotherapy improving disease activity in both the groups.
Study details: This observational study included DMARD-naive patients with newly diagnosed PsA (n = 3642) who initiated methotrexate and matched comparator patients with RA (n = 3642).
Disclosures: This study was funded by grants from the Swedish Rheumatism Association and others. Some authors declared serving as consultants or receiving lecture fees, speakers’ bureau fees, or research support from various sources.
Source: Lindström U et al. Methotrexate treatment in early psoriatic arthritis in comparison to rheumatoid arthritis: An observational nationwide study. RMD Open. 2023;9:e002883 (May 12). doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002883