The synergistic efficacy of hydroxychloroquine with methotrexate is accompanied by increased erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume.

Objectives: To determine whether concomitant HCQ modulates the increase in erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV) caused by MTX therapy, and whether this is associated with improved clinical response in RA.

Methods: A retrospective observational analysis was conducted on two independent hospital datasets of biologic-naïve, early-RA patients who started oral MTX. Baseline characteristics, DAS28-ESR and monthly MCV after starting MTX were obtained. Conventional and machine-learning statistical approaches were applied to the discovery cohort (Cohort 1, 655 patients) and results validated using Cohort 2 (225 patients).

Results: HCQ therapy with MTX was associated with a 2-fold increase in the likelihood of response defined in this study as clinical remission or low disease activity at 6 months (P <0.001). The improved clinical outcome of combination HCQ and MTX therapy was associated with an accelerated rise in MCV from 2 months after commencing therapy. The increase in MCV at 3 months was equivalent to the contemporaneous reduction in the DAS (DAS28-ESR) in predicting clinical response at 6 months. Using latent class mixed modelling, five trajectories of MCV change over 6 months from baseline were identified. The odds ratio of response to treatment was 16.2 (95% CI 5.7, 46.4, P <0.001) in those receiving combination therapy classified within the MCV elevation >5 fl class, which contained the most patients, compared with MTX alone.

Conclusion: Our data provide mechanistic insight into the synergistic clinical benefit of concomitant HCQ with MTX, boosting the rise in MCV, which could serve as a companion biomarker of treatment response.