Full Papers
Early and late responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug inadequate responders and were treated with tocilizumab or switched to rituximab: an open-label phase 3 trial (MIRAI)
T. Dörner1, H. Schulze-Koops2, G.-R. Burmester3, C. Iking-Konert4, M. Schmalzing5, A. Engel6, P. Kästner7, H. Kellner8, R. Kurthen9, K. Krüger10, A. Rubbert-Roth11, H. Schwenke12, M.A. Peters13, H.-P. Tony14
- Department of Medicine, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Campus Mitte, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik m.S. Rheumatologie und Klinische Immunologie, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. thomas.doerner@charite.de
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Campus Innenstadt, Munich, Germany.
- Department of Medicine, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Campus Mitte, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik m.S. Rheumatologie und Klinische Immunologie, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
- Klinik für Nephrologie und Rheumatologie, Med. Klinik III, University Hamburg-Eppendorf, Klinik für Nephrologie und Rheumatologie, Hamburg, Germany.
- Rheumatologie/klinische Immunologie, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Klinikum der Universität Würzburg, Germany.
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, Rheumatologische Schwerpunktpraxis am Feuersee, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Private Practice, Ambulantes Rheumazentrum Erfurt, Germany.
- Private Practice and Division of Rheumatology, Schwerpunktpraxis für Rheumatologie und Gastroenterologie und Ärztlicher Leiter Abteilung Rheumatologie KH Neuwittelsbach, Munich, Germany.
- Private Practice, Aachen, Germany.
- Private Practice, Munich, Germany.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Klinikum der Universität zu Köln, Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Cologne, Germany.
- Rheumatologisches MVZ Dresden GmbH, Dresden, Germany.
- Medical Affairs, Roche Pharma AG, Grenzach, Germany.
- Rheumatologie/klinische Immunologie, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II, Klinikum der Universität Würzburg, Germany.
CER11687
2019 Vol.37, N°6
PI 0937, PF 0945
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PMID: 31025930 [PubMed]
Received: 27/08/2018
Accepted : 21/01/2019
In Press: 16/04/2019
Published: 28/11/2019
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
To evaluate early and late responses in biological-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) initiating tocilizumab and early tocilizumab non-responders who switched to rituximab.
METHODS:
In this open-label, non-randomised phase 3 study, RA patients with inadequate response to conventional synthetic DMARDs received tocilizumab 8 mg/kg intravenously at study begin and weeks 4, 8 and 12. After evaluation at week 16, early responders (Disease Activity Score based on 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate [DAS28-ESR] <2.6) completed the study; partial responders (DAS28-ESR decrease >1.2 or DAS28-ESR ≥2.6–≤3.2) were to continue tocilizumab through week 28; non-responders (DAS28-ESR decrease ≤1.2) switched to rituximab (1000 mg, weeks 16 and 18) with safety follow-up through week 66.
RESULTS:
Of 519 patients, 222 (42.8%) achieved early DAS28-ESR remission at week 16; 240 patients continued treatment, 213 (41.0%) received tocilizumab, and 27 (5.2%) switched to rituximab. At week 32 DAS28-ESR remission was achieved by 117/213 patients (54.9%) who continued tocilizumab and 4/27 patients (14.8%) who switched to rituximab; good EULAR response was achieved by 66.7% and 25.9% and CDAI remission by 19.2% and 14.8% of patients, respectively. Serious adverse events occurred through week 32 in 45/490 patients (9.2%) who received tocilizumab (serious infections, 2.7%) and through week 66 in 8/27 patients (29.6%) who switched to rituximab.
CONCLUSIONS:
Early response to tocilizumab was observed in 42.8% of patients. Half of early partial responders benefitted from continuing tocilizumab. Switching non-responders to rituximab seems feasible. No new safety signals were observed in patients treated with tocilizumab or switched to rituximab.