Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2022 Sep;18(9):497-498.
doi: 10.1038/s41584-022-00817-0.

Discontinuing methotrexate to enhance vaccine response

Affiliations
Comment

Discontinuing methotrexate to enhance vaccine response

Ana C Medeiros-Ribeiro et al. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

In patients with autoimmune rheumatic disease, methotrexate therapy has been associated with poor immune response to vaccines, including those intended to provide protection against COVID-19. Emerging evidence supports the practice of temporarily discontinuing this treatment in order to improve immunogenicity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

None
Alex Whitworth/Springer Nature Ltd

Comment on

References

    1. Haberman RH, et al. Methotrexate hampers immunogenicity to BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in immune-mediated inflammatory disease. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2021;80:1339–1344. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220597. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boekel L, et al. Antibody development after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with autoimmune diseases in the Netherlands: a substudy of data from two prospective cohort studies. Lancet Rheumatol. 2021;11:e778–e788. doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(21)00222-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arumahandi de Silva AN, et al. Pausing methotrexate improves immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccination in elderly patients with rheumatic diseases. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2022;81:881–888. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221876. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Park JK, et al. Impact of temporary methotrexate discontinuation for 2 weeks on immunogenicity of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised clinical trial. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2018;77:898–904. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-211796. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Park JK, et al. Effect of methotrexate discontinuation on efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised clinical trial. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2017;76:1559–1565. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-211128. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms