Methotrexate for RA: Oral or Subcutaneous?

Methotrexate is recommended as a first-line monotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis treatment-naïve patients. It is used as an anchor drug for methotrexate-insufficient responders or in combination with other conventional or biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs).Dose optimization is key for the effective management of rheumatoid arthritis. Physicians must consider a number of factors, including starting and target doses, the best treatment strategy and the optimal route of administration, which can affect drug bioavailability, thus influencing its efficacy and tolerability.In this slideshow, we feature a review by rheumatologists with ASL3 Genovese, Italy, who compare subcutaneous and oral routes of administration for methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This slideshow contains excerpts from the review published in Advances in Therapy.  

References:

 Gerolamo Bianchi,corresponding author Roberto Caporali, Monica Todoerti, and Paolo Mattana.

"Methotrexate and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Current Evidence Regarding Subcutaneous Versus Oral Routes of Administration,"

Advances in Therapy

. Published online Feb. 4, 2016. DOI:  10.1007/s12325-016-0295-8