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A Study of Tocilizumab in Combination With DMARD Therapy in Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Phase 3
Completed
Conditions
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Interventions
Registration Number
NCT00773461
Lead Sponsor
Hoffmann-La Roche
Brief Summary

This 2 arm study will compare the safety and efficacy, with regard to reduction of signs and symptoms, of tocilizumab versus placebo, both in combination with DMARDs, in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who currently have an inadequate response to DMARD therapy. Patients will be randomized 2:1 to receive tocilizumab 8mg/kg iv or placebo iv every 4 weeks, in conjunction with stable DMARD therapy. The anticipated time on study treatment is 3-12 months, and the target sample size is 100-500 individuals.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
209
Inclusion Criteria
  • adult patients, 18-70 years of age;
  • rheumatoid arthritis for >= 6 months;
  • receiving permitted DMARDs, at a stable dose, for >= 8 weeks prior to baseline;
  • current inadequate clinical response to DMARDs.
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Exclusion Criteria
  • major surgery, including joint surgery, within 8 weeks before entering study, or planned major surgery within 6 months following randomization;
  • rheumatic autoimmune disease or inflammatory joint disease other than rheumatoid arthritis;
  • unsuccessful treatment with an anti-TNF agent;
  • previous treatment with tocilizumab.
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Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
1tocilizumab [RoActemra/Actemra]-
2Placebo-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Percentage of Participants With an American College of Rheumatology (ACR)20 Response at Week 24Week 24

To achieve an ACR20 response required at least a 20% improvement, compared with baseline, in both (tender joints count)TJC and (swollen joints count) SJC, as well as in 3 out of 5 additional ACR core set variables: physician's global assessment of disease activity, participant's global assessment of disease activity, participant's assessment of pain, health assessment questionnaire disease index (HAQ-DI) and C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP was used primarily for the calculation of the ACR response; if missing, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) was substituted. ITT sensitivity analysis was carried out using an alternative imputation method (last observation carried forward \[LOCF\]).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Participant's Global Assessment of Pain From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and Week 24

The participants assessed their pain on a 0 to 100 mm VAS. The left-hand extreme of the line equals 0 mm, and is described as "no pain" and the right-hand extreme equals 100 mm as "unbearable pain". A negative change indicated improvement.

Number of Participants Who Received Escape Therapy24 Weeks

Participants who did not achieve a 20% improvement from baseline in both SJC and TJC at week 16 could, if requested and deemed necessary by the investigator, receive escape therapy, comprising adjustment of the background DMARD dose and/or treatment with a different traditional DMARD.

Change in Tender and Swollen Joint Counts From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and Week 24

68 joints were assessed for tenderness and joints were classified as tender/not tender giving a total possible tender joint count score of 0 to 68.

66 joints were assessed for swelling and joints were classified as swollen/not swollen giving a total possible swollen joint count score of 0 to 66.

Change in C-Reactive Protein From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and Week 24

The serum concentration of CRP an acute phase inflammatory marker, is measured in milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL). A reduction in the level is considered an improvement.

Change in ESR From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and Week 24

The ESR was measured in mm/hour. A reduction in the level is considered an improvement.

Mean Rheumatoid Factor at Baseline and Week 24Baseline and 24 Weeks

Rheumatoid factor (RF) is a disease characteristic and more than 85% of the participants studied were positive for the factor. These data are from patients who were RF positive. RF level was reported in international units/milliliter (IU/mL). A positive RF= \>15 IU/mL.

Change in Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disease Index (HAQ-DI) From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and 24 Weeks

HAQ-DI is a self-completed participant questionnaire specific for RA. It consists of 20 questions referring to 8 domains: dressing/grooming, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reach, grip; common daily activities. Each domain has at least 2 component questions. There are 4 possible responses for each component 0=without any difficulty 1=with some difficulty 2=with much difficulty 3=unable to do. The HAQ-DI is the sum of the scores, divided by the number of domains that have a score (in range 6-8) for a total possible score minimum/maximum 0 (best) to 3 (worst). A negative change from baseline indicated improvement.

Percentage of Participants With ACR50 and ACR70 Responses at Week 24Week 24

To achieve an ACR50 or ACR 70 response required at least a 50% or 70% improvement, compared with baseline in both TJC and SJC, as well as in 3 out of 5 additional ACR core set variables: physician's global assessment of disease activity, participant's global assessment of disease activity, participant's assessment of pain, HAQ-DI and CRP. CRP was used primarily for the calculation of the ACR response; if missing, ESR was substituted.

Change in Physician's Global Assessment of Disease Activity From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and Week 24

The physician's global assessment of disease activity is assessed on a 0 to 100 mm horizontal VAS by the physician. The left-hand extreme of the line equals 0 mm, and is described as "no disease activity" (symptom-free and no arthritis symptoms) and the right-hand extreme equals 100 mm as "maximum disease activity" (maximum arthritis disease activity).

Percentage of Participants With Low Disease Activity and in Clinical RemissionBaseline and Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24

DAS28 calculated from the number of swollen joints and tender joints using the 28-joint count, ESR and global health assessment (participant rated global assessment of disease activity using 10-mm VAS); DAS28 score ranged from 0 to 10, where higher scores correspond to greater disease activity. DAS28 less than or equal to (≤3.2) = low disease activity, DAS28 greater than (\>)3.2 to 5.1 = moderate to high disease activity.

Change in Hemoglobin From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and 24 Weeks

Levels of hemoglobin were determined in grams/liter (g/L)as a measure of anemia in participants

Change in Participant's Global Assessment of Disease Activity From Baseline to Week 24Baseline and Week 24

The participant's global assessment of disease activity is assessed on a 0 to 100 mm horizontal visual analogue scale (VAS) by the participant. The left-hand extreme of the line equals 0 mm, and is described as "no disease activity" (symptom-free and no arthritis symptoms) and the right-hand extreme equals 100 mm, as "maximum disease activity" (maximum arthritis disease activity). A negative change from Baseline indicated improvement.

Percentage of Participants With ACR20 Response by First Week of OnsetWeeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24

ACR 20 responses are summarized by first onset as a percentage of the total number of responders at week 24. The number of participants first achieving an ACR20 response at each time point is represented by treatment arm as a proportion of the total number of participants that had an ACR20 response at Week 24 using n as the denominator.

Change From Baseline to Week 24 in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue ScoreBaseline and Week 24

FACIT-F is a 13-item questionnaire. Patients scored each item on a 5-point scale: 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Very much). The larger the participant's response to the questions (with the exception of 2 negatively stated), the greater the fatigue. For all questions, except for the 2 negatively stated ones, the code was reversed and a new score was calculated as (4 minus the participant's response). The sum of all responses resulted in the FACIT-Fatigue score for a total possible score of 0 (worse score) to 52 (better score). A higher score reflects an improvement in health status.

Time to First Low Disease ActivityWeeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24

Time to Low disease activity was calculated as the number of days from the first dose of drug administration to the date of first achievement of DAS28≤3.2.

Time to First RemissionWeeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24

Time to first Remission was calculated as the number of days from the date of first dose of study drug administration to the date of first achievement of DAS\<2.6

Trial Locations

Locations (9)

Peking University People's Hospital

🇨🇳

Beijing, China

General Hospital of Chinese PLA; Department of Hematology

🇨🇳

Beijing, China

Beijing Union Hospital

🇨🇳

Beijing, China

The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University

🇨🇳

Guangzhou, China

The 1st Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University

🇨🇳

Harbin, China

Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

🇨🇳

Shanghai, China

Qilu Hospital of Shandong University

🇨🇳

Jinan, China

Changhai Hospital of Shanghai

🇨🇳

Shanghai, China

The First Affiliated Hospital of The Fourth Military Medical University (Xijing Hospital)

🇨🇳

Xi'an, China

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