Thymopentin in active rheumatoid arthritis. An open, monitored study in 16 patients.

The present paper reports on 16 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with thymopentin administered as intravenous prolonged injections (one push of 5 mg every minute for 10 min) three times weekly for 3 consecutive weeks. Thirteen patients were evaluated, including a follow-up period of 2 months. Most patients improved clinically already after 5 injections. The overall data showed a statistically significant improvement (p less than 0.05) at the end of treatment; this favorable effect lasted for 6-7 weeks after thymopentin was discontinued. Standard laboratory tests and immunological parameters did not reveal any meaningful findings, hence, it can only be speculated about thymopentin's mechanism of action. It is suggested that the dose regimen is very critical as to therapeutic outcome when using an immunomodulating drug in clinical medicine.