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Mode of action of hydroxychloroquine in RA—evidence of an inhibitory effect on toll-like receptor signaling

Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology volume 2, pages 458–459 (2006)Cite this article

Antimalarial drugs have been used for many years to treat rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The two most commonly used antimalarial agents (chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine) have been compared with placebo in randomized, controlled trials in patients with RA, and significant efficacy has been documented.1 Hydroxychloroquine combined with methotrexate and sulfasalazine has also been shown to be significantly more effective than methotrexate monotherapy.2 Although the efficacy of antimalarial agents seems to be lower than that of the first-line disease-modifying drug methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine remains a popular therapy for RA because of its excellent safety profile.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arthritis Group at the Department of Rheumatology of the University Hospital of Zurich,

    Diego Kyburz, Fabia Brentano & Steffen Gay

  2. Department of Rheumatology,

    Diego Kyburz, Fabia Brentano & Steffen Gay

  3. Center of Experimental Rheumatology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland

    Diego Kyburz, Fabia Brentano & Steffen Gay

Authors
  1. Diego Kyburz
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  2. Fabia Brentano
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  3. Steffen Gay
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Correspondence to Diego Kyburz.

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Kyburz, D., Brentano, F. & Gay, S. Mode of action of hydroxychloroquine in RA—evidence of an inhibitory effect on toll-like receptor signaling. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2, 458–459 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncprheum0292

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