Hydroxychloroquine to Improve Insulin Sensitivity in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) reduces insulin resistance in non-diabetic subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The investigators will conduct a double-blind randomized crossover trial in subjects with RA to test the hypothesis that HCQ improves insulin sensitivity. The investigators will also use data from the trial to identify determinants of insulin resistance in RA. The investigators hypothesize that RA will be associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance and that independent risk factors for increased insulin resistance in RA include higher BMI, elevated acute phase reactants, greater fat to muscle ratio, and less physical activity.

Timeline

Start

2010-06

Primary completion

2012-04

Completion

2012-06

Publications

• Background Matsuda M, DeFronzo RA. Insulin sensitivity indices obtained from oral glucose tolerance testing: comparison with the euglycemic insulin clamp. Diabetes Care. 1999 Sep;22(9):1462-70. doi: 10.2337/diacare.22.9.1462.
• Background Reilly MP, Wolfe ML, Rhodes T, Girman C, Mehta N, Rader DJ. Measures of insulin resistance add incremental value to the clinical diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in association with coronary atherosclerosis. Circulation. 2004 Aug 17;110(7):803-9. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000138740.84883.9C. Epub 2004 Aug 2.
• Background Hanley AJ, Williams K, Stern MP, Haffner SM. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in relation to the incidence of cardiovascular disease: the San Antonio Heart Study. Diabetes Care. 2002 Jul;25(7):1177-84. doi: 10.2337/diacare.25.7.1177.
• Background Glaser K, Sung ML, O'Neill K, Belfast M, Hartman D, Carlson R, Kreft A, Kubrak D, Hsiao CL, Weichman B. Etodolac selectively inhibits human prostaglandin G/H synthase 2 (PGHS-2) versus human PGHS-1. Eur J Pharmacol. 1995 Jul 25;281(1):107-11. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(95)00302-2.
• Background Gabriel SE. The epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2001 May;27(2):269-81. doi: 10.1016/s0889-857x(05)70201-5.
• Background Young A, Koduri G, Batley M, Kulinskaya E, Gough A, Norton S, Dixey J; Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Study (ERAS) group. Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis. Increased in the early course of disease, in ischaemic heart disease and in pulmonary fibrosis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007 Feb;46(2):350-7. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kel253. Epub 2006 Aug 14.
• Background Goodson N, Marks J, Lunt M, Symmons D. Cardiovascular admissions and mortality in an inception cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis with onset in the 1980s and 1990s. Ann Rheum Dis. 2005 Nov;64(11):1595-601. doi: 10.1136/ard.2004.034777. Epub 2005 Apr 20.
• Background Solomon DH, Karlson EW, Rimm EB, Cannuscio CC, Mandl LA, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Curhan GC. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in women diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Circulation. 2003 Mar 11;107(9):1303-7. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.0000054612.26458.b2.
• Background Maradit-Kremers H, Nicola PJ, Crowson CS, Ballman KV, Gabriel SE. Cardiovascular death in rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based study. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Mar;52(3):722-32. doi: 10.1002/art.20878.
• Background Solomon DH, Curhan GC, Rimm EB, Cannuscio CC, Karlson EW. Cardiovascular risk factors in women with and without rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Nov;50(11):3444-9. doi: 10.1002/art.20636.
• Background Ridker PM, Stampfer MJ, Rifai N. Novel risk factors for systemic atherosclerosis: a comparison of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, homocysteine, lipoprotein(a), and standard cholesterol screening as predictors of peripheral arterial disease. JAMA. 2001 May 16;285(19):2481-5. doi: 10.1001/jama.285.19.2481.
• Background Dessein PH, Joffe BI. Insulin resistance and impaired beta cell function in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Sep;54(9):2765-75. doi: 10.1002/art.22053.
• Background Chung CP, Oeser A, Solus JF, Gebretsadik T, Shintani A, Avalos I, Sokka T, Raggi P, Pincus T, Stein CM. Inflammation-associated insulin resistance: differential effects in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus define potential mechanisms. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Jul;58(7):2105-12. doi: 10.1002/art.23600.
• Background Quatraro A, Consoli G, Ceriello A, Giugliano D. Is there a role for chloroquine treatment in diabetes? A three case report. Diabete Metab. 1988 Sep-Oct;14(5):666-7. No abstract available.
• Background Garcia-Webb P, Bonser AM. Insulin binding and degradation in isolated hepatocytes from streptozotocin injected rats. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1985 Apr 30;128(2):487-93. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(85)90073-7.
• Background Emami J, Pasutto FM, Mercer JR, Jamali F. Inhibition of insulin metabolism by hydroxychloroquine and its enantiomers in cytosolic fraction of liver homogenates from healthy and diabetic rats. Life Sci. 1999;64(5):325-35. doi: 10.1016/s0024-3205(98)00568-2.
• Background Quatraro A, Consoli G, Magno M, Caretta F, Nardozza A, Ceriello A, Giugliano D. Hydroxychloroquine in decompensated, treatment-refractory noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A new job for an old drug? Ann Intern Med. 1990 May 1;112(9):678-81. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-112-9-678.
• Background Gerstein HC, Thorpe KE, Taylor DW, Haynes RB. The effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are refractory to sulfonylureas--a randomized trial. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2002 Mar;55(3):209-19. doi: 10.1016/s0168-8227(01)00325-4.
• Background Wasko MC, Hubert HB, Lingala VB, Elliott JR, Luggen ME, Fries JF, Ward MM. Hydroxychloroquine and risk of diabetes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. JAMA. 2007 Jul 11;298(2):187-93. doi: 10.1001/jama.298.2.187.
• Solomon DH, Garg R, Lu B, Todd DJ, Mercer E, Norton T, Massarotti E. Effect of hydroxychloroquine on insulin sensitivity and lipid parameters in rheumatoid arthritis patients without diabetes mellitus: a randomized, blinded crossover trial. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2014 Aug;66(8):1246-51. doi: 10.1002/acr.22285.

Drugs

Indications