Conventional Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Nine evidence-based guidelines were identified that recommend the use of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs as a first-line therapy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis prior to using biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or Janus kinase inhibitors. Methotrexate monotherapy was the most commonly recommended conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug recommended as first-line therapy by the included guidelines. Eight of the included guidelines recommend combination therapy using multiple conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs if monotherapy is ineffective and 4 included guidelines recommend the use of glucocorticoids in combination with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.