Study: Alefacept Plus Methotrexate Effective for Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis

The combination treatment of alefacept and methotrexate offers new promise of relief for rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to a study reported this week at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Orlando, FL.

Alefacept is a biologic drug that works by selectively depleting certain T cells thought to be important in causing the immune disturbance in rheumatoid arthritis. The drug methotrexate is standard therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

The trial involved 36 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to methotrexate, the patients received either a 3.75 mg or 7.5 mg dose of alefacept or a placebo once a week for 12 weeks. Patients were observed for an additional 12 weeks.

The researchers found that 67 percent of patients receiving alefacept at either dose had improvement in their arthritis at any point in time compared with only 17 percent of patients on methotrexate alone.

"A single 12-week course of alefacept can provide sustained improvement for up to six months," said researcher Dr. Matthias Schneider, professor of medicine at Heinrich-Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany. "This is the first study to support targeting memory-effector T cells as an effective treatment for inflammatory synovitis."

Other sources: American College of Rheumatology