A drug used successfully in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune diseases was believed to be beneficial for treating inflammatory osteoarthritis (OA) in the hand-until now. According to study results presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (June 2015), the disease-modifying antirheumatic drug hydroxychloroquine, used for 24 weeks, did not diminish mild-to-moderate pain from primary hand OA when compared to placebo. In addition, hydroxychloroquine showed no overall effect on pain, disability and joint stiffness, as measured by the Australian Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index (AUSCAN) and no overall change was observed in physical, social and emotional wellbeing scores, according to the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale. The findings do not support the prescription of hydroxychloroquine for patients with mild-to-moderate pain from hand OA, stated the studys authors.
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