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Anakinra (Kineret), an antagonist of the interleukin-1 receptor, recently was FDA approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this manufacturer-sponsored, double-blind, randomized trial, investigators examined the efficacy of anakinra in combination with methotrexate.
A total of 419 patients with active RA, despite at least 6 months of methotrexate therapy, received either placebo or anakinra, injected subcutaneously at doses that ranged from 0.04 mg/kg to 2.0 mg/kg. Methotrexate was continued in all patients. At 12 weeks, the proportion of patients who achieved an ACR20 response (i.e., a 20% reduction in a score that reflects several subjective and objective measures) was significantly higher among those who received 2.0-mg/kg o…