Healing of erosions in rheumatoid arthritis remains elusive: results with 24 months of the anabolic agent teriparatide

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Teriparatide in the context of rheumatoid arthritis, published as a randomized controlled trial.

This extension study aimed to determine whether 2 years of teriparatide (TPTD) produces erosion healing.

Why It Was Studied

Method: Subjects in a previous 12 month randomized controlled trial of TPTD in RA were invited to receive 12 additional months of open-label TPTD.

The researchers also compared erosion volumes between 12 and 24 months of TPTD.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 24 subjects taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Eleven of the 24 original subjects were enrolled in the extension study, six of whom received TPTD in the final 12 months only.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized and open-label.

The subjects were allocated by chance, so the Teriparatide group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Being open-label, the Teriparatide study did not mask who received what.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Arthritis, Rheumatoid, Bone Density Conservation Agents, Finger Joint, Metacarpophalangeal Joint, Teriparatide and Tomography, X-Ray Computed.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and open-label study of Teriparatide in 24 subjects in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2021 (Scandinavian journal of rheumatology), a journal based in England.

More context: the Teriparatide compound page, Rheumatoid arthritis research.