Switching Anti-TNF-Alpha Agents in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Summary

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that leads to inflammation and progressive joint damage affecting 2.5 million people in the United States. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of switching to an alternative Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) alpha inhibitor in comparison to continuing treatment with an existing TNF-alpha inhibitor in adults suffering from RA in a setting of inadequate clinical response to etanercept or adalimumab.

Timeline

Start

2008-11

Primary completion

2010-10

Completion

2010-10

Publications

• Background Villeneuve E, Haraoui B. To switch or to change class-the biologic dilemma in rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2010 May;6(5):301-5. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2010.45. Epub 2010 Apr 13.
• Background Rubbert-Roth A, Finckh A. Treatment options in patients with rheumatoid arthritis failing initial TNF inhibitor therapy: a critical review. Arthritis Res Ther. 2009;11 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S1. doi: 10.1186/ar2666. Epub 2009 Apr 6.
• Background van Gestel AM, Haagsma CJ, van Riel PL. Validation of rheumatoid arthritis improvement criteria that include simplified joint counts. Arthritis Rheum. 1998 Oct;41(10):1845-50. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(199810)41:103.0.CO;2-K.

Drugs

Indications