Development and validation of a methotrexate adherence assay

摘要

Background The first-line therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is weekly oral methotrexate (MTX) at low dosages (7.5-25 mg/week). However, similar to 40% of patients are non-adherent which may explain why some do not respond and need to start more expensive biological therapies. To monitor adherence more accurately and develop strategies to improve it, a validated objective MTX adherence test is required.