Study of the Optimal Protocol for Methotrexate and Adalimumab Combination Therapy in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

Summary

This study compared the safety and efficacy of combination therapy with adalimumab plus methotrexate (MTX) to that of MTX monotherapy (i.e., placebo plus MTX) in subjects with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Timeline

Start

2006-12

Primary completion

2010-07

Completion

2010-07

Outcome

Met primary endpoint

paper 73 of 105 (70%) patients in the adalimumab-continuation group and 61 of 112 (54%) patients in the methotrexate-monotherapy group achieved the primary endpoint PMID 24168956 ↗

paper mean difference 15% [95% CI 2-28%], p=0·0225 PMID 24168956 ↗

registry analysis (superiority or other test); ADA+MTX/ADA+MTX (Arm 2) vs PBO+MTX/PBO+MTX (Arm 4); p = 0.023; Chi-squared NCT00420927 ↗

Publications

• Smolen J, Fleischmann R, Aletaha D, Li Y, Zhou Y, Sainsbury I, Galindo IL. Disease activity improvements with optimal discriminatory ability between treatment arms: applicability in early and established rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials. Arthritis Res Ther. 2019 Nov 10;21(1):231. doi: 10.1186/s13075-019-2005-9.
• Smolen JS, van Vollenhoven RF, Florentinus S, Chen S, Suboticki JL, Kavanaugh A. Predictors of disease activity and structural progression after treatment with adalimumab plus methotrexate or continued methotrexate monotherapy in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis and suboptimal response to methotrexate. Ann Rheum Dis. 2018 Nov;77(11):1566-1572. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-213502. Epub 2018 Aug 3.
• Kavanaugh A, van Vollenhoven RF, Fleischmann R, Emery P, Sainsbury I, Florentinus S, Chen S, Guerette B, Kupper H, Smolen JS. Testing treat-to-target outcomes with initial methotrexate monotherapy compared with initial tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (adalimumab) plus methotrexate in early rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2018 Feb;77(2):289-292. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-211871. Epub 2017 Nov 16.
• Keystone EC, Breedveld FC, van der Heijde D, van Vollenhoven RF, Emery P, Smolen JS, Sainsbury I, Florentinus S, Kupper H, Chen K, Kavanaugh A. Achieving comprehensive disease control in patients with early and established rheumatoid arthritis treated with adalimumab plus methotrexate versus methotrexate alone. RMD Open. 2017 Sep 26;3(2):e000445. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2017-000445. eCollection 2017.
• Burmester GR, Landewe R, Genovese MC, Friedman AW, Pfeifer ND, Varothai NA, Lacerda AP. Adalimumab long-term safety: infections, vaccination response and pregnancy outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 Feb;76(2):414-417. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-209322. Epub 2016 Jun 23.
• Smolen JS, Emery P, Fleischmann R, van Vollenhoven RF, Pavelka K, Durez P, Guerette B, Kupper H, Redden L, Arora V, Kavanaugh A. Adjustment of therapy in rheumatoid arthritis on the basis of achievement of stable low disease activity with adalimumab plus methotrexate or methotrexate alone: the randomised controlled OPTIMA trial. Lancet. 2014 Jan 25;383(9914):321-32. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61751-1. Epub 2013 Oct 26.

Drugs

Evaluation	Drug	Modality	Dose	Route
Subject	Adalimumab	Monoclonal antibody	40 mg	Subcutaneous
Background	Methotrexate	Small molecule	20 mg	Oral

Indications