MONDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) and DMARD (disease-modifying antirheumatic drug) therapies achieved remission of early rheumatoid arthritis better than either one alone did, says new research in the current issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

The two-year study, sponsored by Abbott Laboratories, began with 799 people at 133 sites in North America, Europe and Australia. The patients in the study (mean age 52) had active rheumatoid arthritis for less than three years.

The patients were divided into three treatment groups. One group received the DMARD methotrexate (MTX) in pill form (starting at 20 milligrams a week), a second group received injections of the anti-TNF adalimumab (starting at 40 milligrams every other week), and a third group received both treatments (starting at the same dosage levels as the single treatment groups).

The groups were evaluated at six months, one year and two years; 539 of the volunteers completed the full two years of treatment.

Following a year of treatment, 62 percent of the patients receiving the combination therapy had a 50 percent improvement in disease symptoms, compared with 41 percent of those in the ant-TNF group and 46 percent of the patients in the DMARD group.

After two years, nearly half the patients receiving the combination therapy exhibited major clinical remission. That rate was about twice that noted in patients receiving either single therapy.

More information

The Arthritis Foundation has more about rheumatoid arthritis.