A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Targeted treatment with a combination of traditional DMARDs produces excellent clinical and radiographic long-term outcomes in early rheumatoid arthritis regardless of initial infliximab. The 5-year follow-up results of a randomised clinical trial, the NEO-RACo trial




AuthorsRantalaiho V, Kautiainen H, Korpela M, Hannonen P, Kaipiainen-Seppanen O, Mottonen T, Kauppi M, Karjalainen A, Laiho K, Laasonen L, Hakola M, Peltomaa R, Leirisalo-Repo M; NEO-RACo Study Group

PublisherBMJ PUBLISHING GROUP

Publication year2014

JournalAnnals of the Rheumatic Diseases

Journal name in sourceANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES

Journal acronymANN RHEUM DIS

Volume73

Issue11

First page 1954

Last page1961

Number of pages8

ISSN0003-4967

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-203497

Web address http://ard.bmj.com/content/73/11/1954.full


Abstract


OBJECTIVE:

To study whether adding initial infliximab to remission-targeted initial combination-DMARD treatment improves the long-term outcomes in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).



METHODS:

Ninety-nine patients with early, DMARD-naïve RA were treated with a triple combination of DMARDs, starting with methotrexate (max 25 mg/week), sulfasalazine (max 2 g/day), hydroxychloroquine (35 mg/kg/week), and with prednisolone (7.5 mg/day), and randomised to double blindly receive either infliximab (3 mg/kg; FIN-RACo+INFL) or placebo (FIN-RACo+PLA) infusions during the first 6 months. After 2 years the treatment strategies became unrestricted, but the treatment goal was strict ACR remission. At 5 years the clinical and radiographic outcomes were assessed.



RESULTS:

Ninety-one patients (92%) were followed up to 5 years, 45 in the FIN-RACo+INFL and 46 in the FIN-RACo+PLA groups. At 5 years, the respective proportions of patients in strict ACR and in disease activity score 28 remissions in the FIN-RACo+INFL and FIN-RACo+PLA groups were 60% (95% CI 44% to 74%) and 61% (95% CI 45% to 75%) (p=0.87), and 84% (95% CI 71% to 94%) and 89% (95% CI 76% to 96%) (p=0.51). The corresponding mean (SD) total Sharp/van der Heijde scores at 5 years were 4.3 (7.6), and 5.3 (7.3), while the respective mean Sharp/van der Heijde scores changes from baseline to 5 years were 1.6 (95% CI 0.0 to 3.4) and 3.7 (95% CI 2.2 to 5.8) (p=0.13).



CONCLUSIONS:

In early RA, targeted treatment with a combination of traditional DMARDs and prednisolone induces remission and minimises radiographic progression in most patients up to 5 years; adding initial infliximab for 6 months does not improve these outcomes.


Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.



 




Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 21:27