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Certolizumab Pegol May Relieve RA Symptoms, Reduce Methotrexate Use
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Analysis of pooled data from two phase 3 studies of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate and certolizumab pegol at 200-mg or 400-mg doses or placebo every 2 weeks showed symptom relief in the treatment groups compared to placebo, regardless of methotrexate dose.
Researchers studied data from the Rheumatoid Arthritis Prevention of Structural Damage 1 (RAPID 1) and RAPID 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of 1,598 patients with available data. Patients were randomly assigned 2:2:1 to either 200-mg or 400-mg doses of certolizumab pegol or placebo in addition to stable-dose of methotrexate. Patients who did not have at least an ACR20 response to treatment were withdrawn at week 16.
Baseline use of methotrexate was not associated with ACR20 response at week 24, with response rates between 53.6% and 59.9% among all dosage groups except placebo. A greater number of ACR50 and ACR70 responses were observed among patients who received certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, UCB) at 200-mg or 400-mg doses compared to placebo, with slightly higher responses among patients with higher doses of concurrent methotrexate.
Although a greater mean change from baseline DAS28 based on erythrocyte sedimentation rates was found at week 24 among patients who received 200-mg or 400-mg doses of certolizumab pegol, similar effects were observed with methotrexate dose categories in both treatment and placebo groups. Low disease activity at week 24 was more likely to be reported by patients who received certolizumab pegol. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosures: Combe reports the receipt of research support (more than $10,000 each) from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche-Chugai, and UCB Pharma, and speaking fees (less than $10,000 each) from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Merck, Pfizer, Roche-Chugai, and UCB Pharma. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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