PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R C Blodgett

Publications and source records attributed to R C Blodgett.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1986

Long-term efficacy and safety of auranofin: a review of clinical experience.

Auranofin (AF) is the first oral gold therapy developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since the drug was introduced in 1982, more than 100,000 patients have been treated with AF. Controlled clinical trials prior to introduction included more than 5,000 patients, some of whom received AF for more than 7 years. At the recommended dose of 6 mg/day, AF therapy results in a lower total body burden of gold than does injectable gold (IG). However, comparative studies indicate that the clinical effect of AF is comparable to that of IG. Adverse events that occur during AF therapy tend to be mild and of short duration, often resolving with continued therapy or temporarily reduced dosage. Most adverse events occur during the first few months of therapy, and the incidence diminishes over time. Data on 134 patients who received AF for more than 5 years demonstrate a sustained therapeutic effect and no cumulative toxicity from long-term therapy. In 18 comparative trials, 1,053 patients with RA received either AF (527 patients) or IG (526 patients) for up to 36 months. At 1 year, similar proportions of patients in the AF and IG groups had 50% or greater improvement in various parameters of disease activity. Safety analysis showed that AF was significantly better tolerated than IG. The rate of withdrawal because of adverse events was about twice as great in the IG group as in the AF group, both at one year (14% vs. 31%, p less than 0.05) and for the duration of the trials (18% vs. 34%, p less than 0.05). This suggests that the benefit-to-risk ratio is more favorable with AF.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1984

Auranofin: a unique oral chrysotherapeutic agent.

Auranofin is a chemically unique gold coordination complex with demonstrated antiarthritic properties on oral administration. Its pharmacokinetic and immunologic profiles are distinct from injectable gold compounds. When auranofin is added to a regimen of salicylates and/or a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug for the treatment of RA, significant additional therapeutic benefit is observed. Published studies indicate that auranofin given 6 mg per day approaches the efficacy of parenteral gold salts in the treatment of rheumatoid disease. Noticeable improvement in clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity has been observed by the third month of auranofin therapy. Further benefit occurs in some patients during the remainder of the first year of treatment. In the more than 3,000 patients treated with auranofin, the most frequently reported side effects were gastrointestinal (mainly diarrhea) and mucocutaneous. Most side effects were mild in nature and the withdrawal rate due to all adverse reactions averaged 11%. Auranofin differs from injectable gold by producing more gastrointestinal but fewer mucocutaneous reactions. The severity of these reactions is less with auranofin and causes fewer withdrawals from therapy.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗
PubMed1984

Proteinuria in gold-treated rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment records of 1800 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were included in the clinical trials of auranofin in the United States were examined for data on development of proteinuria. Three percent (41) of 1283 auranofin-treated patients had an abnormal 24-hour urine protein level: 15 had mild (0.15 to 1 g/d), 17 had moderate (1 to 3.5 g/d), and 9 had heavy (greater than 3.5 g/d) proteinuria. Permanent renal impairment did not occur, and proteinuria did not persist beyond 12 months in most patients. Seven of eight patients who were rechallenged when the proteinuria had cleared were able to continue treatment without relapse. No clinically discernible risk factors were found. Biopsy specimens from 4 patients showed membranous glomerulonephritis, which indicates an underlying immunopathologic mechanism. In similar groups of patients, the risk of developing proteinuria with auranofin therapy is significantly less than that with parenteral gold therapy (p less than 0.05) and similar to that with background therapy with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (p = 0.92). The lower incidence and relatively benign nature of proteinuria seen in this review support previous findings that auranofin is better tolerated than injectable gold.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Auranofin: experience to date.

Auranofin, an oral gold-containing medication for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, has unique chemical, pharmacologic, and kinetic characteristics. Clinical improvement is achieved with lower blood gold levels than with parenteral gold compounds. More than 3,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in 27 countries have been treated with auranofin to date. In many patients, experience with auranofin extends beyond three years, and in some it exceeds four years. Available information indicates that auranofin (3 mg twice a day) is superior to placebo therapy, with similar efficacy and greater safety than gold sodium thiomalate.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The musculoskeletal manifestations of acne fulminans.

We describe a relatively uncommon and poorly understood relationship between a particularly severe form of acne and an associated arthritis. Two young men are described, 1 of whom possesses the HLA-B27 antigen. Their clinical courses are described, responses to therapeutic intervention outlined, and some speculation regarding etiology is made. A review of the literature is included. The prognosis is uncertain, since 1 of the patients has sacroiliitis.

Acne Vulgaris↗