Comparison of phenytoin with auranofin and chloroquine in rheumatoid arthritis--a double blind study.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy of phenytoin in modifying the course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by comparing it to gold (auranofin) and chloroquine.

Methods: A double blind, randomized study of 6 months' duration was conducted at the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India. One hundred and thirty-two patients with active RA (defined by the 1987 ARA criteria) were entered into the study and randomized into 3 groups: phenytoin, chloroquine, or auranofin.