Induction therapy with methotrexate and prednisone in rheumatoid or very early arthritic disease

There is a clinically and statistically significant difference in the percentage of patients who achieve and maintain clinical remission (defined as Disease Activity Score [DAS] less than 1.6) and in functional ability and progression of radiological joint damage after one year of follow-up in recent-onset arthritis patients (Rheumatoid Arthritis [RA] and Undifferentiated Arthritis [UA]) who, having failed to achieve remission on a combination of methotrexate and a tapered high dose of prednisone, receive extended medication in a combination of methotrexate, sulphasalazine, hydroxychloroquine and low dose prednisone, or who switch to a combination of methotrexate and adalimumab.