Gold sodium thiomalate and D-penicillamine. A controlled, comparative study in patients with pauciarticular and polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Seventy-seven consecutive patients with pauciarticular or polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis were randomized to treatment with either gold sodium thiomalate (GSTM) or D-penicillamine (PEN) in a parallel 50-week clinical trial. Adverse reactions were reported by or observed in 9 GSTM-treated and 15 PEN-treated patients. Of these, 5 and 7 respectively were withdrawn from the study. Most disease activity measurements were changed in favour of the GSTM group, compared with the PEN group, but significant differences between the treatment regimens were observed for only a few measurements. This possible advantage of GSTM with regard to efficacy was only seen in patients with the polyarticular disease type.