Abstract

The use of penicillamine (Distamine - Dista; Cuprimine - MSD) for rheumatoid arthritis followed the observation that its administration caused a fall in levels of rheumatoid factor in the serum.^{1 2} This fall was associated with clinical improvement, and both continued for some months after the drug was stopped.^3–5 The authors suggested that the serological changes were not due solely to intravascular depolymerisation of rheumatoid factor, but to some effect on the disease process.