Year-Long Methotrexate Not Helpful for Inflammatory Knee OA

TOPLINE:

Compared with placebo, low-dose methotrexate administered weekly at doses up to 15 mg for 52 weeks did not relieve knee pain or reduce the size of effusion-synovitis in patients with inflammatory knee osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODOLOGY:

Researchers in China conducted a multicenter, clinical trial between July 2019 and January 2023 to examine whether low-dose methotrexate can reduce knee pain and effusion-synovitis in knee OA.

They included 215 patients (mean age, 60.6 years; 89% women) with inflammatory knee OA and effusion-synovitis who were randomly assigned to receive either methotrexate or placebo, with weekly 5 mg folic acid supplementation given 1 day after treatment.

Participants continued their regular medications (except corticosteroids and anti-synovitis drugs), did n