Conditions: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis Active
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 100
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
To use different starting doses of methotrexate (7.5 mg per week) versus 15 mg per week in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, followed by similar hiking up of dose (2.5 mg per 2 weeks, till max of 25 mg per week). To look at the effect on efficacy ( or speed of efficacy) versus the adverse effects.

Hypothesis: There will be no difference in the adverse effects, but better and faster control of disease when starting with a higher methotrexate dose

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: None arm 2: None

Interventions: intervention 1: Methotrexate
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Different doses for both arms followed by similar escalation (2.5 mg every 15 d) till max of 25 mg per week or 3 months completed

Protocol document: