Table 3 Analysis for last drug observation carried forward.
| Variable | Combination (n = 56) | SASP (n = 55) | MTX (n = 54) | Comb v SASP* p Value | Comb v MTX* p Value | SASP v MTX* p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAS | –0.67 (–1.38 to –0.21) | –0.3 (–0.8 to 0) | –0.26 (–0.99 to 0) | 0.039 | 0.023 | 0.79 |
| HAQ | –0.5 (–10.25 to 0.06) | –0.25 (–9.13 to 0.13) | –0.19 (–10.25 to 0.13) | 0.51 | 0.57 | 0.99 |
| Ritchie articular index | –4 (–7.5 to –0.5) | –3 (–9 to 1) | 0 (–6 to 3) | 0.43 | 0.019 | 0.13 |
| Swollen joint count | –3 (–4 to –0.5) | –3 (–6 to 0) | –2 (–6 to 0) | 0.94 | 0.81 | 0.74 |
| Pain score | –8 (–27.5 to 2) | 0 (–13 to 7) | 0 (–23 to 11) | 0.071 | 0.25 | 0.58 |
| Patient global | –11.5 (–27.5 to 0.5) | 0 (–15 to 5) | –7 (–26 to 2) | 0.06 | 0.72 | 0.14 |
| Physician global | –12.5 (–25 to 0) | –4 (–15 to 5) | –5 (–22 to 0) | 0.044 | 0.62 | 0.13 |
| ESR | 0 (–8.5 to 1) | 0 (–4 to 9) | 1 (–3 to 6) | 0.087 | 0.033 | 0.86 |
| CRP | 0 (–5.5 to 1) | 0 (–1 to 2) | 0 (–3 to 2) | 0.18 | 0.24 | 0.90 |
CRP, C reactive protein; DAS, disease activity score; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; HAQ, health assessment questionnaire; MTX, methotrexate; SASP, sulfasalazine.
A positive value indicates an increase in the variable over the trial period. Data are median (IQR) increase in score. Changes are 18‐month values minus 6‐month values.
*Mann–Whitney U test used.