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Systemic JIA patients successfully discontinued corticosteroids through canakinumab therapy
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Successful tapering of corticosteroid use was achieved for almost half the patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis through canakinumab therapy in a study presented at the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Madrid.
Researchers studied 177 patients with active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA; aged 2 to 19 years) who received subcutaneous canakinumab at 400 mg/kg (300 mg maximum) every 4 weeks during a maximum of 20 weeks of corticosteroid (CS) tapering. An adapted ACR50 achievement with no fever was required for CS tapering to be initiated.
One hundred twenty-eight patients used CS at baseline (median dose, 0.27 mg/kg/day; range, 0.02-1 mg/kg/day), and 92 entered the CS-tapering phase. Of those, 57 patients (44.5%; 90% CI, 37.1%-52.2%) successfully reached the primary endpoint. After CS tapering, 42 patients were CS-free, and 24 had doses of no more than 0.2 mg/kg/day, considered a secondary endpoint. When compared with CS users at baseline, CS-free patients were older (median age, 9 years vs. 8 years), had fewer joints with active arthritis (median, 7 vs. 11), lower physician’s global assessment of disease activity (median, 62 vs. 71.5) and limited range of motion (median, 5.5 vs. 10).
Gender, race, duration of SJIA, C-reactive protein, flares during the previous 6 months were similar between groups at baseline.
“In addition to the evident efficacy of canakinumab in the treatment of SJIA, we now have additional evidence of its value in successfully tapering corticosteroid use,” researcher Nicola Ruperto, MD, MPH, said in a press release. “Any reductions that can be made in CS will have significant long-term health benefits for children suffering from SJIA.”
Disclosure: See the abstract for a full list of relevant disclosures.
For more information:
Ruperto N. OP0136: Baseline Characteristics of Patients with Active Systemic JIA Successfully Discontinuing Corticosteroid While Receiving Canakinumab: Secondary Analysis From a Pivotal Phase 3 Trial. Presented at: EULAR 2013; June 12-15, Madrid.