Sulphasalazine versus penicillamine in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Fifty-four patients with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized to either sulphasalazine or D-penicillamine in order to compare the short- and long-term efficacy of these two agents in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Decisive improvement was observed in both treatment groups over a 1 year period. Side effects were common in both groups and accounted for termination of therapy in 11 patients during the first year. Radiological deterioration was evident in both treatment groups. A trend toward greater radiological deterioration was observed in patients receiving sulphasalazine, but this was not statistically significant. Only 11 of the 38 patients who completed 1 year of therapy were continuing to take the same drug 5 years later. Eight patients were continuing D-penicillamine and three were still taking sulphasalazine. Among the patients who completed 1 year of therapy, treatment was subsequently terminated because of loss of effective disease control in a significantly higher proportion of patients receiving sulphasalazine (P less than 0.01). The radiological data and the latter observations suggest that D-penicillamine may be a more effective agent for long-term treatment.