Latebreakers: New AHRQ report compares antirheumatics

Which drugs work well for rheumatoid arthritis? Some answers can be found in a new report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. It concluded that combining methotrexate with one of the biologic disease-modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) works better than using each alone. Also combining prednisone with hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, or sulfasalazine works better than using only a synthetic DMARD to reduce joint swelling and improve function. The report, which also presented findings on which medications offer no improvement over others, can be found at http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/.