Summary
Dexamethasone has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Rheumatoid Arthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 6 registered trials linking Dexamethasone to Rheumatoid Arthritis: 1 is currently recruiting; 2 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00631358). The largest enrolment is 306 participants (NCT02666443). Registration activity spans 2004 to 2025. The literature layer holds 7 publications for this pair: 1 meta-analysis, 1 randomised controlled trial publication and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2010 to 2023. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Rheumatoid Arthritis ranks 544 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 11% achieve drug-free remission (DFR) at median 74 months; most cohorts show 10-15% DFR ceiling.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 51.0 (trials 14.0, literature 17.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 6 total: 1 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 2 completed, 3 other |
| Linked publications | 7 (5 clinical trial publications, 1 meta-analysis, 1 randomised controlled trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00631358 | Assessment of Inflammatory Biomarkers Expressed in a Sjogren's Population: Effect of a Topical Steroid Intervention 2008 | completed | Phase 4 | 97 |
| NCT01316770 | Dexamethasone Irrigation of the Parotid Glands in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Subjects 2011 | terminated | Phase 2 | 14 |
| NCT03337165 | Autologous Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells for Treatment of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis 2016 | completed | Phase 1 | 10 |
| NCT06842316 | Effects of Phytocannabinoids on Immune Response and Autophagy During Chronic Immune-mediated Inflammatory Diseases 2025 | recruiting | Not applicable | 100 |
| NCT02666443 | Low Dose Dexamethasone in Supraclavicular Blocks 2016 | status unknown | Not applicable | 306 |
| NCT00244153 | Intraarticular Opioids Vs Glucocorticosteroids in Gonarthritis 2004 | status unknown | PHASE1, PHASE2 | 120 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication AZD9567 versus prednisolone in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: A phase IIa, randomized, double-blind, efficacy, and safety studyvan Laar JM, Lei A, Safy-Khan M et al. · Clinical and translational science · 2023 · PMID 37873558
- Meta-analysis Meta-Analysis of in vitro-Differentiated Macrophages Identifies Transcriptomic Signatures That Classify Disease Macrophages in vivoChen HJ, Li Yim AYF, Griffith GR et al. · Frontiers in immunology · 2019 · PMID 31921150
- Clinical trial publication A double-blind randomized comparative study of triamcinolone hexacetonide and dexamethasone intra-articular injection for the treatment of knee joint arthritis in rheumatoid arthritisHajialilo M, Ghorbanihaghjo A, Valaee L et al. · Clinical rheumatology · 2016 · PMID 27572327
- Clinical trial publication Randomized double-blind study of the effect of dexamethasone and methylprednisolone pulse in the control of rheumatoid arthritis flare-up: a preliminary studySadra V, Khabbazi A, Kolahi S et al. · International journal of rheumatic diseases · 2014 · PMID 24400920
- Clinical trial publication In vitro glucocorticoid sensitivity is associated with clinical glucocorticoid therapy outcome in rheumatoid arthritisQuax RA, Koper JW, de Jong PH et al. · Arthritis research & therapy · 2012 · PMID 22920577
- Clinical trial publication Local administration of glucocorticoids decreases synovial citrullination in rheumatoid arthritisMakrygiannakis D, Revu S, Engström M et al. · Arthritis research & therapy · 2012 · PMID 22284820
- Randomized controlled trial Effect of dexamethasone on autoantibody levels and arthritis development in patients with arthralgia: a randomised trialBos WH, Dijkmans BA, Boers M et al. · Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2010 · PMID 19363022
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dexamethasone approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Dexamethasone has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Rheumatoid Arthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Dexamethasone in clinical trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 6 registered trials linking Dexamethasone to Rheumatoid Arthritis: 1 is currently recruiting; 2 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00631358). The largest enrolment is 306 participants (NCT02666443). Registration activity spans 2004 to 2025.
What does the evidence show for Dexamethasone in Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Dexamethasone has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.