Summary
Prednisone 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 8 registered trials linking Prednisone to Rheumatoid Arthritis: 1 is currently recruiting; 4 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT01172639). It plans or enrolled 400 participants. Registration activity spans 2007 to 2026. The literature layer holds 14 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 3 meta-analyses, 1 systematic review and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2014 to 2026. 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 | 79.0 (trials 29.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 1 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 4 completed, 3 other |
| Linked publications | 14 (5 Cochrane reviews, 5 clinical trial publications, 3 meta-analyses, 1 systematic review) |
| 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT03886038 | Subunit Vaccine Against Herpes Zoster in RA Patients Treated With JAK-inhibitors (VACCIMIL-ZOSTER) 2019 | completed | Phase 4 | 142 |
| NCT01172639 | Effectiveness in Daily Practice of Different Treatment Strategies for Early Rheumatoid Arthritis. 2009 | completed | Phase 4 | 400 |
| NCT07245732 | Oral Versus Intramuscular Steroid Use to Control Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares 2026 | recruiting | Phase 4 | 220 |
| NCT04169100 | Novel Form of Acquired Long QT Syndrome 2011 | status unknown | Phase 4 | 25 |
| NCT02370550 | Cyclosporine A in the TReatment of Interstitial Pneumonitis Associated With Sjogren's Syndrome 2015 | status unknown | Phase 4 | 240 |
| NCT02779114 | RETRO (REduction of Therapy in RA Patients in Ongoing Remission) 2009 | status unknown | Phase 3 | 318 |
| NCT00938587 | A Study Of PF-04171327 In The Treatment Of The Signs And Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis 2009 | completed | Phase 2 | 86 |
| NCT00580229 | A Safety Analysis of Oral Prednisone as a Pre-Treatment for Rituximab in Rheumatoid Arthritis. 2007 | completed | PHASE2, PHASE3 | 50 |
Published literature
- Meta-analysis Changes in bone mineral density and fractures during 2 years of low-dose glucocorticoid treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review and individual participant data meta-analysisPalmowski A, Haugegaard T, Hafström I et al. · RMD open · 2026 · PMID 42097691
- Clinical trial publication A comparison of short-term efficacy and toxicity of 2 glucocorticoid bridging strategies in 2 clinical trials in early rheumatoid and undifferentiated arthritisvan der Pol JA, Brilman EG, de Jong PHP et al. · Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism · 2025 · PMID 40367657
- Clinical trial publication Comparison of two strategies of glucocorticoid withdrawal in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in low disease activity (STAR): a randomised, placebo- controlled, double-blind trialRuyssen-Witrand A, Brusq C, Masson M et al. · Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2025 · PMID 39874233
- Clinical trial publication Long-term clinical outcomes in early rheumatoid arthritis that was treated-to-target in the BeSt and IMPROVED studiesHeckert SL, Maassen JM, Nevins I et al. · Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2025 · PMID 38561181
- Meta-analysis Progression of tuberculosis among patients with rheumatic diseases - A systematic review and meta-analysisSundaram K, Vajravelu LK, Velayutham R et al. · The Indian journal of tuberculosis · 2025 · PMID 40518207
- Clinical trial publication Prednisone use, disease activity and the occurrence of hyperglycaemia and diabetes in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: a 10-year subanalysis of the BeSt studyvan der Pol JA, Allaart CF, Lems W et al. · RMD open · 2024 · PMID 38688692
- Clinical trial publication Clinical Observational Study on the Therapeutic Efficacy of Pirfenidone in Sjögren's Syndrome Complicated with Nonspecific Interstitial PneumoniaWei W, Zou W, Han W et al. · Alternative therapies in health and medicine · 2024 · PMID 38290451
- Meta-analysis Continuing versus tapering low-dose glucocorticoids in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus in states of low disease activity or remission: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trialsPalmowski A, Pankow A, Terziyska K et al. · Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism · 2024 · PMID 38100900
- Cochrane review Safety and efficacy associated with long-term low-dose glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysisPalmowski A, Nielsen SM, Boyadzhieva Z et al. · Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2023 · PMID 36810945
- Cochrane review Glucocorticoid use in rheumatoid arthritis patients and the onset of pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysisElsouri KN, Arboleda V, Basbous L et al. · Journal of osteopathic medicine · 2023 · PMID 36691851
- Systematic review Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease: Comprehensive ReviewRubio J, Kyttaris VC · Current rheumatology reports · 2023 · PMID 36884206
- Cochrane review Use of corticoids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: Systematic review and network meta-analysisPaglia MDG, Silva MT, Lopes LC et al. · PloS one · 2021 · PMID 33826610
- Cochrane review Risk factors for hypertension in rheumatoid arthritis patients-A systematic reviewHadwen B, Stranges S, Barra L · Autoimmunity reviews · 2021 · PMID 33609791
- Cochrane review Efficacy of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, glucocorticoids and tofacitinib: a systematic literature review informing the 2013 update of the EULAR recommendations for management of rheumatoid arthritisGaujoux-Viala C, Nam J, Ramiro S et al. · Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2014 · PMID 24395555
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 Prednisone approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Prednisone 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 Prednisone in clinical trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Prednisone to Rheumatoid Arthritis: 1 is currently recruiting; 4 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT01172639). It plans or enrolled 400 participants. Registration activity spans 2007 to 2026.
What does the evidence show for Prednisone in Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Prednisone 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.