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ACTIVE NOT RECRUITING
NCT04870203
PHASE3

Combination of Baricitinib and Anti-TNF in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sponsor: University Hospital, Bordeaux

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

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

Interventions

DRUG

baricitinib treatment

4 mg daily during 12 months

DRUG

anti-TNF therapy

adalimumab at 40 mg every 2 weeks or etanercept 50 mg per week according to treatments history

DRUG

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