Drugs Information Center(DIC)

Methotrexate is a folic acid antagonist derived from aminopterin. It inhibits dihydrofolate reductase, the enzyme required in the pathway supplying methyl donor groups for DNA, RNA and protein synthesis. Methotrexate has been used for the treatment of diseases characterised by inflammation or cellular proliferation. In 1985 the first randomised, placebo-controlled trials were published that demonstrated the short-term efficacy of low-dose weekly methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methotrexate is now the most widely used disease-modifying antirheumatoid drug (DMARD) in the developed world. It was first used in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in 1951, and has been shown to be of clinical benefit in this condition. However, methotrexate toxicity remains an important issue when considering its use, and is one of the main reasons for discontinuation. The most common adverse effects are gastrointestinal, such as anorexia, nausea, stomatitis and diarrhoea. CNS toxicity incl...

Doctors have rediscovered that salsalate, a drug used to treat arthritis, may be beneficial for type 2 diabetes as well. Rediscovered? Well, dial back to 1876 -- a medical journal reported on a patient who was successfully treated with salicylate (a simple form of salsalate) for diabetes. Salicylates are a subset of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Now, researchers from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston report that using salsalate for short time periods can lower blood sugar before people eat and after they eat -- and affect average blood sugar measurements over time. It may turn out to be that one drug benefits both conditions -- arthritis and diabetes. Salsalate is reportedly safe and inexpensive. Results from a broad study carried out in 13 states, that evaluated salsalate as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, are expected to be released in a couple of months. A larger study will begin later in the year at 20 U.S. sites. More than 15 million people in the U.S. have ty...