Initial experience with oral gold salts in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in patients followed up for one year.

Fifteen patients, eight males and seven females, suffering from classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis were treated for 1 year with Auranofin, a new gold salt active by the oral route, different from parenteral gold as far as dosage, mechanism of action and toxicity are concerned. Patients received a dosage of 3 mg twice daily, equivalent to 0.85 mg of elemental gold, in order to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and tolerability of this new compound. Subjective and objective parameters were monitored during the trial and serum gold levels were assayed every 2 months by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Our study, which is on-going, shows the therapeutic efficacy of Auranofin which seems better tolerated than parenteral gold salts and will probably become a widely used drug in the long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.