Although methotrexate is the most widely used medication for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), evidence for its effectiveness is scant. The recent MIPA trial failed to show disease-modifying effects. Was this outcome due to true inefficacy, or to trial issues? Data on symptom-modulating and disease-modifying effects of methotrexate in PsA are explored.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Mitigation of disease- and treatment-related risks in patients with psoriatic arthritis
Arthritis Research & Therapy Open Access 20 March 2017
-
Apremilast: A Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis
Rheumatology and Therapy Open Access 09 December 2014
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Ceponis, A. & Kavanaugh, A. Use of methotrexate in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Clin. Exp. Rheumatol. 28 (Suppl. 61), S132–S137 (2010).
Kingsley, G. H. et al. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of MTX in PsA. Rheumatology (Oxford) http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kes001.
Mease, P. Measures of psoriatic arthritis. Arthritis Care Res. 63 (Suppl. 11), S64–S85 (2011).
Mease, P. Psoriatic arthritis: update on pathophysiology, assessment, and management. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 70 (Suppl 1), 77–84 (2011).
Willkens, R. F. et al. Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of low-dose pulse methotrexate in psoriatic arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 27, 376–381 (1984).
Black, R. L. et al. Methotrexate therapy in psoriatic arthritis. JAMA 189, 743–747 (1964).
Baranauskaite, A. et al. Infliximab plus methotrexate is superior to methotrexate alone in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis in methotrexate-naive patients: the RESPOND study. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 71, 541–548 (2012).
Kane, D. et al. Reduction of synovial sublining layer inflammation and proinflammatory cytokine expression in psoriatic arthritis treated with methotrexate. Arthritis Rheum. 50, 3286–3295 (2004).
Chandran, V., Schentag, C. T. & Gladman, D. D. Reappraisal of the effectiveness of methotrexate in psoriatic arthritis: results from a longitudinal observational cohort. J. Rheumatol. 35, 469–471 (2008).
Ritchlin, C. T. et al. Treatment recommendations for psoriatic arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 68, 1387–1394 (2009).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares that he has worked as a consultant, been a member of speakers' bureau and received grant or research support from Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, Bristol–Myers Squibb, Genentech, Lilly, Pfizer and UCB. He also declares that he has worked as a consultant or received grant or research support from Celgene, Novartis and Merck.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mease, P. Is methotrexate effective in psoriatic arthritis?. Nat Rev Rheumatol 8, 251–252 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2012.56
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2012.56
This article is cited by
-
Mitigation of disease- and treatment-related risks in patients with psoriatic arthritis
Arthritis Research & Therapy (2017)
-
Advances in the management of psoriatic arthritis
Nature Reviews Rheumatology (2014)
-
Apremilast: A Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis
Rheumatology and Therapy (2014)
-
Epidemiology and Natural History of Psoriatic Arthritis: an UpdateWhat Dermatologists Need to Know
Current Dermatology Reports (2013)