Infliximab plus prednisone or placebo plus prednisone for the initial treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica: a randomized trial.

Background: A reliable alternative to steroids for treating polymyalgia rheumatica has not yet been identified. Although infliximab has been used occasionally in steroid-resistant cases, its efficacy has not been demonstrated in a controlled study.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of prednisone plus infliximab with that of prednisone plus placebo in patients with newly diagnosed polymyalgia rheumatica.