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Long-term adalimumab treatment shows sustained benefits in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

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Patients with ankylosing spondylitis treated with Humira for 5 years showed improved spinal mobility, physical function and quality of life, according to results from the ATLAS study.

The study comprised patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who were randomly assigned to treatment with Humira (adalimumab, AbbVie) 40 mg or placebo every other week for the course of 24 weeks, followed by open-label adalimumab treatment for up to 5 years. Researchers assessed spinal mobility using linear Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI_lin), in addition to examining Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), total back pain, C-reactive protein, Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI), AS quality of life (ASQoL) and SF-36 scores.

Désirée van der Heijde

Overall, 311 patients received one or more doses of adalimumab, and 125 of the 208 patients who were originally treated with adalimumab underwent treatment for 5 years. The researchers found both BASMI and BASMI_lin were significantly improved after 12 weeks of adalimumab treatment, according to the researchers. BASMI_lin improvements were sustained through 5 years, with patients who completed 5 years of adalimumab treatment exhibiting a mean change of −0.6 from baseline. Disease activity, physical function and ASQoL improvements were also maintained at 5 years.

According to the researchers, BASMI_lin was significantly correlated with all of the clinical outcomes evaluated, with the highest correlation with BASFI at 12 weeks and 5 years. – by Shirley Pulawski

Disclosure: Van der Heijde has received consulting fees, research grants and/or speaking fees from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Centocor (now Janssen Biotech), Chugai, Eli Lilly, GSK, Merck, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Schering-Plough, UCB and Wyeth, and is owner of Imaging Rheumatology. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.