@article {van Roon1026, author = {Eric N van Roon and Mart A F J van de Laar and Matthijs Janssen and Marijn W M Kruijsen and Tim L T A Jansen and Jacobus R B J Brouwers}, title = {Parenteral gold preparations. Efficacy and safety of therapy after switching from aurothioglucose to aurothiomalate.}, volume = {32}, number = {6}, pages = {1026--1030}, year = {2005}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: For reasons of insufficient quality of the raw material, aurothioglucose was withdrawn from the Dutch market at the end of 2001. Aurothiomalate became available as an alternative preparation. We followed a cohort of patients during the first year after switching from aurothioglucose to aurothiomalate to study efficacy and tolerability. METHODS: Patients were observed at baseline and at 3 and 12 months after switching. At each visit, data on adverse drug reactions (ADR), withdrawal, and disease activity were collected. RESULTS: In total 120 patients were included [age 63(SD 15) yrs, 68\% female, 93\% with rheumatoid arthritis, duration of disease 15 (SD 9) years, 82\% IgM rheumatoid factor-positive, with 9 (SD 9, range 0.1-45) yrs of previous aurothioglucose therapy]. Nineteen patients (16\%) reported an ADR taking aurothiomalate not previously experienced with aurothioglucose, the most frequently reported being pruritus, dermatitis/stomatitis, and chrysiasis/hyperpigmentation. Twenty-nine patients (24\%) withdrew from aurothiomalate within 12 months of followup for reasons of inefficacy (14\%), ADR (7\%), or disease in state of remission (3\%). Kaplan-Meier estimates show aurothiomalate survival rates of 78.5\% after 12 months. No statistically significant differences between the disease activity indicators during followup visits compared with the baseline visit were detected for the patients continuing aurothiomalate. CONCLUSION: Within the first 12 months after switching from aurothioglucose, 24\% of patients withdrew from aurothiomalate. Sixteen percent of patients reported novel ADR. For the population continuing to take aurothiomalate no clinically relevant changes in disease activity were recorded after switching.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/32/6/1026}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/32/6/1026.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }