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Combination of Baricitinib and Anti-TNF in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sponsor: University Hospital, Bordeaux
Summary
As stated by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the Société Française de Rhumatologie (SFR), treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should target sustained remission or at least low disease activity. However, despite significant advances based on various combinations of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologic DMARDs, RA therapies meet treatment goals only in some patients: * 40 to 50% of patients with early RA, treated with methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy as first-line therapy, * 20 to 30% of patients treated with a combination of MTX and biologic as second-line therapy. * Less than 10% of patients treated with a combination of MTX and another targeted DMARD, such as baricitinib, as third-line therapy. Therefore, new strategies targeted at achieving a higher percentage of remission are needed, that do not require waiting for multiple failed therapies. Combinations of biologics have shown synergistic improvement of symptoms in murine models of RA relative to the improvement observed with either agent alone. However, in RA patients, only five randomised clinical trials (RCTs) have explored the efficacy and safety of combining tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor with another biologic (anakinra, abatacept, rituximab or bimekizumab). Baricitinib is a selective, reversible and competitive inhibitor of Janus kinases (Jaki). This treatment is efficient in a number of therapeutic scenarios in RA and showed a clinical superiority over adalimumab in one RCT (RA-BEAM study in MTX inadequate responders). Of note, baricitinib inhibits many of the pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of RA but does not block signalling downstream of TNF. Owing to the interest in combining different mechanisms of action, the investigators plan to assess the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with baricitinib and a TNF inhibitor. The investigators are aware that combining targeted therapies is not recommended due to a potential increase in the frequency of serious adverse events. However, several case series on patients treated with a combination of targeted therapies have been published, suggesting a certain efficacy in patients with refractory RA. The first ones focused on inflammatory bowel diseases and psoriasis, but more recently, combination of tofacitinib (which belongs to the same Jaki family as baricitinib) with various biologics has been reported in a sample of RA patients. No serious adverse effects were reported over a mean of approximately 11 months of therapy. The clinical improvement was mild but noticeable in these refractory RA cases. Recently, data of interest from the RA-BEAM study have been reported. Patients who switched from adalimumab to baricitinib showed improvements in disease control. Because the switch from adalimumab to baricitinib occurred without a washout period, and because adalimumab has a mean circulating half-life of approximately 14 days, patients would have received several weeks of dual TNF and Jak1/Jak2 inhibition in the course of the change of treatment. The observation of increased efficacy, with no apparent acute safety issues during the weeks when patients were exposed to both adalimumab and baricitinib, is of interest, and supports our strategy to combine the two treatments for patients with refractory RA. The investigators consider that there is a need for investigation into the addition of anti-TNF to baricitinib in patients suffering of refractory RA (inadequate response to TNF inhibitors). The investigators hypothesize that in this population, based on ACR50 score, this combination therapy will decrease disease activity more efficiently than a switch to another targeted DMARD, such as baricitinib.
Official title: Combination of Baricitinib and Anti-TNF vs. Baricitinib in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: a Randomized Controlled Phase III Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 65 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
160
Start Date
2021-07-15
Completion Date
2027-03
Last Updated
2026-03-17
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
baricitinib treatment
4 mg daily during 12 months
anti-TNF therapy
adalimumab at 40 mg every 2 weeks or etanercept 50 mg per week according to treatments history
Placebo
40 mg every 2 weeks during 6 months only during Period A
Locations (36)
CH de la Côte Basque - service de rhumatologie
Bayonne, France
CH de Belfort - service de rhumatologie
Belfort, France
AP-HP - Hopital Avicenne - service de rhumatologie
Bobigny, France
CHU de Bordeaux - service de rhumatologie
Bordeaux, France
CHU de Brest - Service de rhumatologie
Brest, France
Clinique de l'Infirmerie - service de rhumatologie
Caluire-et-Cuire, France
CHU de Clermont-Ferrand - service de rhumatologie
Clermont-Ferrand, France
CH de Dax - service de rhumatologie
Dax, France
CHD VENDEE - service de rhumatologie
La Roche-sur-Yon, France
AP-HP - Hôpital Kremlin-Bicêtre - service de rhumatologie
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
CH du Mans - service de rhumatologie
Le Mans, France
CH Emile Roux - service rhumatologie
Le Puy-en-Velay, France
Polyclinique de Limoges - service de rhumatologie
Limoges, France
Groupement des Hôpitaux de l'Institut Catholique de Lille - service de rhumatologie
Lomme, France
AP-HM - service de rhumatologie
Marseille, France
Hôpital Saint-Joseph - service de rhumatologie
Marseille, France
CHU de Montpellier - service de rhumatologie
Montpellier, France
CHU de Nice - service de rhumatologie
Nice, France
CH de Niort - service de rhumatologie
Niort, France
CHU de Nîmes - service de rhumatologie
Nîmes, France
Nouvel Hôpital Orléans La Source - service de rhumatologie
Orléans, France
AP-HP - Hôpital Bichat - service de rhumatologie
Paris, France
AP-HP - Hôpital Cochin - service de rhumatologie
Paris, France
AP-HP - Hôpital La Pitié-Salpetrière - service de rhumatologie
Paris, France
AP-HP - Hôpital Saint-Antoine - service de rhumatologie
Paris, France
CH de Pau - service de rhumatologie
Pau, France
Hospices Civils de Lyon - service de rhumatologie
Pierre-Bénite, France
Hopital NOVO - service de rhumatologie
Pontoise, France
CH de Reims - service de rhumatologie
Reims, France
CHU de Saint-Etienne- service de rhumatologie
Saint-Etienne, France
CH de Saint-Malo - service de rhumatologie
St-Malo, France
CHRU de Strasbourg - service de rhumatologie
Strasbourg, France
CHU de Toulouse - service de rhumatologie
Toulouse, France
CHRU du Tours - service de rhumtologie
Tours, France
CHRU de Nancy - service de rhumatologie
Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
service de Rhumatologie - CH Princesse Grace
Monaco, Monaco