Are modified-release corticosteroids good therapeutic options for patients with RA?

Author(s): Katz SJ, Russell AS

Affiliation(s): University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Publication date & source: 2008-06, Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol., 4(6):290-1. Epub 2008 Apr 22.

Publication type:

Glucocorticoids have good efficacy as anti-inflammatory agents but are associated with adverse effects. Buttgereit et al. have compared the efficacy of modified-release prednisone with that of standard, immediate-release prednisone for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The modified-release tablets are designed to liberate the glucocorticoid approximately 4 h after ingestion, and can be taken at bedtime so that the prednisone release coincides with peaks in endogenous cortisol levels and symptoms of disease in the early hours of the morning. The authors of this study hypothesized that the modified release would improve the benefit-risk ratio of this glucocorticoid. The 12-week, multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial included 251 patients who completed the study. In patients with active rheumatoid arthritis, prescription of the modified-release tablet for night-time ingestion resulted in a mean 29.2 min shorter duration of morning stiffness than in patients who received standard immediate-release prednisone tablets in the morning, and a total 44.0 min reduction in morning-stiffness duration at 12 weeks compared with baseline. The safety profiles of the modified-release and immediate-release forms of prednisone were similar.