Cyclosporine (10 mglkglday) and azathioprine (2.5-3 mg/kg/day) were compared for 26 weeks in an open, controlled, randomized study of 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Each treatment group consisted of 12 patients. Those patients who took cyclosporine improved significantly in the SO-foot walk time, circumferences of proximal interphalangeal joints, Ritchie articular index, global assessment by investigator, and grip strength, when compared with baseline findings. In the azathioprine group, there was improvement only in grip strength.Immune reactions are involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatQid arthritis (RA) (1). Synovial T cells produce interleukin-2, which is essential for the proinflammatory immune reactions in rheumatoid tissues (2,3). Cyclosporine (CS) suppresses immune responses by inhibition of the production of interleukin-2 by T lymphocytes (4). CS can also prevent the devel-

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