Comparison of MTX+Anti-TNF to MTX+Conventional DMARDs in Patients With Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Who Failed MTX Alone (SWEFOT)

Summary

The Swefot trial was designed to compare two treatment strategies for patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (less than 1 year symptom duration): the use of a combination of traditional antirheumatic medications (DMARDs), versus a combination including a newer "biological" anti-TNF medication. In order to make this trial consistent with current practices in rheumatology, all patients were first given the most commonly used antirheumatic medication, methotrexate (MTX). After 3-4 months those patients who had not responded adequately to this treatment were randomized to receive either MTX plus sulfasalazine plus hydroxychloroquine, or MTX plus infliximab. Again, to be truly life-like, the trial allowed patients who could not tolerate one of the added medications to switch in treatment - but keeping with the same strategy - so that sulfasalazine plus hydroxychloroquine could be replaced by cyclosporin A, and infliximab by etanercept. The primary outcome in this trial was the percentage of patients who, after one year of treatment, achieved a "good response" as defined by Eular.

Timeline

Start

2002-12

Primary completion

2007-04

Completion

2008-12

Publications

• Miller H, Wallman JK, Petersson IF, Saevarsdottir S, Soderling J, Ernestam S, Askling J, van Vollenhoven R, Neovius M. Mortality over 14 years in MTX-refractory patients randomized to a strategy of addition of infliximab or sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 May 14;60(5):2217-2222. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa553.
• Olofsson T, Wallman JK, Joud A, Schelin MEC, Ernestam S, van Vollenhoven R, Saevarsdottir S, Lampa J. Pain Over Two Years After Start of Biologic Versus Conventional Combination Treatment in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From a Swedish Randomized Controlled Trial. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2021 Sep;73(9):1312-1321. doi: 10.1002/acr.24264. Epub 2021 Aug 2.
• Hambardzumyan K, Hermanrud C, Marits P, Vivar N, Ernestam S, Wallman JK, van Vollenhoven RF, Fogdell-Hahn A, Saevarsdottir S; SWEFOT study group. Association of female sex and positive rheumatoid factor with low serum infliximab and anti-drug antibodies, related to treatment failure in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the SWEFOT trial population. Scand J Rheumatol. 2019 Sep;48(5):362-366. doi: 10.1080/03009742.2019.1602670. Epub 2019 Jun 27.
• Hambardzumyan K, Bolce RJ, Wallman JK, van Vollenhoven RF, Saevarsdottir S. Serum Biomarkers for Prediction of Response to Methotrexate Monotherapy in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from the SWEFOT Trial. J Rheumatol. 2019 Jun;46(6):555-563. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.180537. Epub 2019 Feb 1.
• Levitsky A, Brismar K, Hafstrom I, Hambardzumyan K, Lourdudoss C, van Vollenhoven RF, Saevarsdottir S. Obesity is a strong predictor of worse clinical outcomes and treatment responses in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the SWEFOT trial. RMD Open. 2017 Aug 9;3(2):e000458. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2017-000458. eCollection 2017.
• Platten M, Kisten Y, Kalvesten J, Arnaud L, Forslind K, van Vollenhoven R. Fully automated joint space width measurement and digital X-ray radiogrammetry in early RA. RMD Open. 2017 Jun 29;3(1):e000369. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2016-000369. eCollection 2017.
• Hambardzumyan K, Saevarsdottir S, Forslind K, Petersson IF, Wallman JK, Ernestam S, Bolce RJ, van Vollenhoven RF. A Multi-Biomarker Disease Activity Score and the Choice of Second-Line Therapy in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis After Methotrexate Failure. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017 May;69(5):953-963. doi: 10.1002/art.40019. Epub 2017 Mar 31.
• Eriksson JK, Wallman JK, Miller H, Petersson IF, Ernestam S, Vivar N, van Vollenhoven RF, Neovius M. Infliximab Versus Conventional Combination Treatment and Seven-Year Work Loss in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results of a Randomized Swedish Trial. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2016 Dec;68(12):1758-1766. doi: 10.1002/acr.22899.
• Hambardzumyan K, Bolce RJ, Saevarsdottir S, Forslind K, Wallman JK, Cruickshank SE, Sasso EH, Chernoff D, van Vollenhoven RF. Association of a multibiomarker disease activity score at multiple time-points with radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the SWEFOT trial. RMD Open. 2016 Mar 1;2(1):e000197. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2015-000197. eCollection 2016.
• Levitsky A, Erlandsson MC, van Vollenhoven RF, Bokarewa MI. Serum survivin predicts responses to treatment in active rheumatoid arthritis: a post hoc analysis from the SWEFOT trial. BMC Med. 2015 Sep 30;13:247. doi: 10.1186/s12916-015-0485-2.
• van Vollenhoven RF, Bolce R, Hambardzumyan K, Saevarsdottir S, Forslind K, Petersson IF, Sasso EH, Hwang CC, Segurado OG, Geborek P. Brief report: enhancement of patient recruitment in rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials using a multi-biomarker disease activity score as an inclusion criterion. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015 Nov;67(11):2855-60. doi: 10.1002/art.39274.
• Kastbom A, Forslind K, Ernestam S, Geborek P, Karlsson JA, Petersson IF, Saevarsdottir S, Klareskog L, van Vollenhoven RF, Lundberg K. Changes in the anticitrullinated peptide antibody response in relation to therapeutic outcome in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the SWEFOT trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Feb;75(2):356-61. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-205698. Epub 2014 Dec 30.
• Hambardzumyan K, Bolce R, Saevarsdottir S, Cruickshank SE, Sasso EH, Chernoff D, Forslind K, Petersson IF, Geborek P, van Vollenhoven RF. Pretreatment multi-biomarker disease activity score and radiographic progression in early RA: results from the SWEFOT trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Jun;74(6):1102-9. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-204986. Epub 2014 May 8.
• Eriksson JK, Karlsson JA, Bratt J, Petersson IF, van Vollenhoven RF, Ernestam S, Geborek P, Neovius M. Cost-effectiveness of infliximab versus conventional combination treatment in methotrexate-refractory early rheumatoid arthritis: 2-year results of the register-enriched randomised controlled SWEFOT trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Jun;74(6):1094-101. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-205060. Epub 2014 Apr 15.
• Saevarsdottir S, Rezaei H, Geborek P, Petersson I, Ernestam S, Albertsson K, Forslind K, van Vollenhoven RF; SWEFOT study group. Current smoking status is a strong predictor of radiographic progression in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the SWEFOT trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Aug;74(8):1509-14. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-204601. Epub 2014 Apr 4.
• Eriksson JK, Neovius M, Bratt J, Petersson IF, van Vollenhoven RF, Geborek P, Ernestam S. Biological vs. conventional combination treatment and work loss in early rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2013 Aug 12;173(15):1407-14. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.7801.
• van Vollenhoven RF, Geborek P, Forslind K, Albertsson K, Ernestam S, Petersson IF, Chatzidionysiou K, Bratt J; Swefot study group. Conventional combination treatment versus biological treatment in methotrexate-refractory early rheumatoid arthritis: 2 year follow-up of the randomised, non-blinded, parallel-group Swefot trial. Lancet. 2012 May 5;379(9827):1712-20. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60027-0. Epub 2012 Mar 29.
• Saevarsdottir S, Wallin H, Seddighzadeh M, Ernestam S, Geborek P, Petersson IF, Bratt J, van Vollenhoven RF; SWEFOT Trial Investigators Group. Predictors of response to methotrexate in early DMARD naive rheumatoid arthritis: results from the initial open-label phase of the SWEFOT trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011 Mar;70(3):469-75. doi: 10.1136/ard.2010.139212. Epub 2010 Dec 13.

Drugs

Indications