MIAMI BEACH -- Methotrexate appears to pose only a small risk of serious infection with long-term use, according to results of a meta-analysis reported here.
The analysis showed an overall risk of about 2 per 100 patient-years in patients with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with methotrexate. The rate was rate was slightly but significantly increased among patients with RA.
Regardless of how the rates were analyzed, they still fell below those associated with use of biologic agents, Jennifer Gloeckner Powers, MD, said at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting.
"This would suggest, as you've probably seen in clinical practice, that methotrexate's infectious risks are not as high as with biologics, but it is important to realize that the risks still exist," said Gloeckner Powers, of the Grand Rapids Medical Research Center in Michigan.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAD/18854