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Dose REduction strategy of subcutaneous TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: design of a pragmatic randomised non inferiority trial, the DRESS study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Preliminary, mostly uncontrolled studies suggest that dose reduction or discontinuation of tumour necrosis factor blockers can be achieved in a relevant proportion of patients with RA without loss of disease control. However, long term safety, cost effectiveness and feasibility in clinical practice remain uncertain. METHODS/DESIGN:This study is a 18-months pragmatic, non-inferiority, cost minimalisation, randomized controlled trial on dose reduction and discontinuation of the subcutaneous tumour necrosis factor (TNF) blockers adalimumab and etanercept in RA patients with low disease activity. 180 RA patients with low disease activity (DAS28 < 3.2 or clinical judgment of the rheumatologist) are randomized 2:1 to either increased spacing and eventually discontinuation after 6 months of the TNF blocker, and usual care. Implementation is done in routine daily care, using treat to target and feedback implementation in both treatment arms. The primary outcome is non-inferiority (NI margin 20%) in cumulative incidence of persistent (> 3 months) RA flare, according to a recently validated DAS28 based flare criterion (DAS28 change > 1.2, or DAS28 increase of 0.6 and current DAS28 ? 3.2). Secondary outcomes include mean disease activity, function, radiographic progression, safety and cost effectiveness. Cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) differences between groups are expressed as a decremental cost effectiveness ratio (DCER), i.e. saved costs divided by (possible) loss in QALY. DISCUSSION:The design of this study targeted several clinical and methodological issues on TNF blocker dose de-escalation, including how to taper the TNF blockers, the satisfactory control condition, how to define flare, implementation in clinical practice, and the choice of the non-inferiority margin. Pragmatic cost minimalisation studies using non-inferiority designs and DCERs will become more mainstream as cost effectiveness in healthcare gains importance. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Dutch Trial Register NTR3216, The study has received ethical review board approval (number NL37704.091.11).

SUBMITTER: den Broeder AA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4016115 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Dose REduction strategy of subcutaneous TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: design of a pragmatic randomised non inferiority trial, the DRESS study.

den Broeder Alfons A AA van Herwaarden Noortje N van der Maas Aatke A van den Hoogen Frank H J FH Bijlsma Johannes W JW van Vollenhoven Ronald F RF van den Bemt Bart J F BJ

BMC musculoskeletal disorders 20131024

<h4>Background</h4>Preliminary, mostly uncontrolled studies suggest that dose reduction or discontinuation of tumour necrosis factor blockers can be achieved in a relevant proportion of patients with RA without loss of disease control. However, long term safety, cost effectiveness and feasibility in clinical practice remain uncertain.<h4>Methods/design</h4>This study is a 18-months pragmatic, non-inferiority, cost minimalisation, randomized controlled trial on dose reduction and discontinuation ...[more]

PMID: 24152421

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Project description:Background:The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is based on the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Tocilizumab can be used as monotherapy or in combination with conventional synthetic DMARDs for the treatment of moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis. Subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous forms of the drug are available, but the SC form is more widely used. OBJECTIVE:To understand the real-world dose modification patterns of SC tocilizumab in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the United States. METHODS:Data were obtained from the Truven (now IBM) MarketScan and Optum Clinformatics databases. Patients were included if they had ?1 pharmacy claims for SC tocilizumab and met other inclusion criteria. The mean, standard deviation, and median values were reported for the continuous variables, and frequency was reported for the categorical variables. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to analyze the time to first dose modification. Logistic regression modeling was used to identify predictors of the likelihood of dose modification. RESULTS:The study included 1266 patients in the Truven database and 512 patients in the Optum database who had commercial or Medicare Advantage or supplemental insurance. Of the patients who started treatment with biweekly SC tocilizumab (48% each in the Truven and Optum databases), 37% in Truven and 40% in Optum had dose escalation to a weekly dose. Of those who started weekly SC tocilizumab (43% in the Truven and 49% in the Optum databases), 3% (Truven) and 4% (Optum) had dose reduction. The remaining patients started alternative SC tocilizumab doses. Overall, 60% and 68% of patients in the Truven and Optum cohorts, respectively, initiated or escalated to the higher weekly dose of tocilizumab; the mean time to dose escalation was 126 days and 112 days, respectively. In the Truven cohort, corticosteroid use, age, and anemia were the main predictors for dose escalation. In the Optum cohort, female patients had increased odds of dose escalation compared with male patients. CONCLUSION:The dosing trends observed in this study show that physicians have taken advantage of the option to increase SC tocilizumab dosing, but only a few providers chose to reduce the dose. This trend in dose modification may increase the costs related to SC tocilizumab therapy.

Project description:To compare adalimumab versus etanercept in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to test the hypothesis that adalimumab was not inferior to etanercept in terms of drug continuation by a margin of 15% after 52 weeks of treatment.Pragmatic, randomised, parallel group, multicentre, unblinded and non-inferiority trial. Randomisation stratified by baseline use of methotrexate.125 adults with active RA despite treatment with two disease-modifying drugs (DMARDs), including methotrexate randomised (1?:?1) to adalimumab 40 mg alternate weeks or etanercept 50 mg weekly, added to existing medication.The primary outcome was proportion of patients continuing treatment after 52 weeks. Secondary outcomes included: disease activity score using 28 joints (DAS28), treatment satisfaction (TSQM V.2), health status (Euroqol-5D), drug toxicity and persistence with therapy after 2 years.Persistence with therapy was 65% for adalimumab versus 56.7% for etanercept (one-sided 95% CI for proportion still taking adalimumab minus proportion on etanercept ?-7.9%); demonstrating non-inferiority at the 15% margin. After 2 years these figures were: adalimumab 58.3% and etanecept 43.3% (CI ?-1.7%). The proportion of good, moderate and non-responders based on DAS28-C reactive protein, after 52 weeks, were 26.3%, 33.3% and 40.4%, respectively, for adalimumab versus 16.7%, 31.7% and 51.7%, respectively, for etanercept (p=0.158). Baseline median EQ-5D scores improved from 0.52 to 0.69 for adalimumab and from 0.52 to 0.64 for etanercept (p=0.046) after 52 weeks. Global satisfaction, effectiveness, side effects and convenience scores based on the TSQM were similar for both drugs. Fourteen serious adverse events occurred including two deaths from myocardial infarction, one patient with ovarian cancer and one with acute myeloid leukaemia.Clinicians choosing a first tumour necrosis factor inhibitor for active RA, despite trying two DMARDs including methotrexate, may choose either adalimumab or etanercept in the knowledge that these drugs are similarly effective.EU Clinical Trials Register 2006-006275-21/GB.

Project description:In 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis the baseline expression (t=0) of type I IFN-regulated genes was determined in peripheral blood cells (PAXgene) using cDNA-microarrays and compared to levels one month after (t=1) anti-TNF treatment (infliximab). Therefore, we used 43K cDNA microarrays from the Stanford Functional Genomics Facility (http://microarray.org/sfgf/) printed on aminosilane-coated slides containing ~20.000 unique genes. Only one batch of arrays was used for all experiments. First DNA spots were UV-cross linked to the slide using 150-300 mJoules. Sample preparation and microarray hybridization were performed as described previously (1,2). Data storage and filtering was performed using the Stanford Microarray Database (http://genome-www5.stanford.edu//) as described previously. 1. van der Pouw Kraan TC, Wijbrandts CA, van Baarsen LG, Voskuyl AE, Rustenburg F, Baggen JM et al.: Rheumatoid arthritis subtypes identified by genomic profiling of peripheral blood cells: assignment of a type I interferon signature in a subpopulation of patients. Ann Rheum Dis 2007, 66: 1008-1014. 2. van der Pouw Kraan TC, van Baarsen LG, Rustenburg F, Baltus B, Fero M, Verweij CL: Gene expression profiling in rheumatology. Methods Mol Med 2007, 136: 305-327. Abbreviations: - Bnrs are the different patients analyzed - PAX or Paxgene indicates the total RNA was isolated from peripheral blood obtained in PAXgene tubes - CRS: common reference sample: We made a common reference that consisted of a mixture of mRNAs isolated from 11 different cell lines (Perou CM, Jeffrey SS, van de RM et al. Distinctive gene expression patterns in human mammary epithelial cells and breast cancers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999; 96:9212-9217) supplemented with RNA from rheumatoid synovial tissue, fibroblasts, and activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). - PMT: photomultiplier tube: the sensitivity/intensity of the scanner can be adjusted to prevent spot saturation. Compound Based Treatment: anti-TNF (infliximab)

Project description:IntroductionAlthough bDMARDs are effective in the treatment of RA, they are associated with dose-dependent side effects, patient burden, and high costs. Recently, many studies have investigated the possibility of discontinuing or tapering bDMARDs when patients have reached their treatment goal. The aim of this review is to provide a narrative overview of the existing evidence on bDMARD dose reduction and to provide answers to specific dose-reduction-related questions that are of interest to clinicians.MethodsWe systematically searched for relevant studies in four scientific databases. Furthermore, we screened the references of reviews and relevant studies.ResultsOur searches resulted in 45 original studies of bDMARD dose reduction in RA patients (15 RCTs and 30 observational studies). Current evidence shows that bDMARD dose reduction can be considered in all RA patients who achieve stable (e.g., ≥6 months) low disease activity or remission. The best strategies seem to be disease-activity-guided dose optimization and fixed dose reduction, since direct bDMARD discontinuation (without restarting) results in a high flare rate, worse physical functioning, and more joint damage. When tapering the bDMARD treatment of a patient, disease activity should be monitored closely, and if a flare occurs, the dose should be increased to the lowest effective dose. Current evidence shows that restarting bDMARD treatment is effective and safe. Unfortunately, no clear predictors of successful dose reduction have been identified so far.ConclusionThe current evidence and rising healthcare costs urge that dose reduction should be considered for eligible patients. However, the decision to start dose reduction should be made in shared decision-making. Future research should focus not only on a better understanding of the effects of dose reduction on clinical outcomes but also on the perspectives of patients and physicians as well as the implementation of this new treatment principle.

Project description:IntroductionThe The BIOlogical Dose OPTimisation (BIODOPT) trial is a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled, open-label, parallel-group, equivalence study designed to evaluate tapering of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in sustained clinical remission or low disease activity (LDA). Traditionally, these patients maintain standard dosage of bDMARD lifelong; however, recent studies indicate that a significant proportion of patients in sustained remission or LDA can taper their bDMARD and maintain stable disease activity. Thus, this trial aims to evaluate whether a disease activity-guided tapering strategy for bDMARDs will enable a significant dosage reduction while maintaining disease activity compared with usual care. From the individual patient's standpoint as well as from a societal perspective, it would be advantageous if bDMARDs could be reduced or even discontinued while maintaining disease activity.Methods and analysisA total of 180 patients with RA, PsA or axSpA treated with bDMARDs and in clinical remission/LDA during the past 12 months will be enrolled from four centres in Denmark. Patients will be randomised in a ratio of 2:1 to either disease activity-guided tapering of bDMARDs (intervention group) or continuation of bDMARDs as usual care (control group).The primary objective is the difference between the two groups in the proportion of patients who have reduced their inclusion dosage of bDMARDs to 50% or less while maintaining stable disease activity at 18 months follow-up.Ethics and disseminationThe study is approved by the ethics committee of Northern Jutland, Denmark (N-20170073) and by the Danish Medicine Agency. Patient research partner KHH contributed to refinement of the protocol and approved the final manuscript. Results will be disseminated through publication in international peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration number2017-001970-41; Pre-results.

Dataset Information

Dose REduction strategy of subcutaneous TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: design of a pragmatic randomised non inferiority trial, the DRESS study.

Publications

Dose REduction strategy of subcutaneous TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: design of a pragmatic randomised non inferiority trial, the DRESS study.

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