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.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
209
8mg/kg iv every 4 weeks for 24 weeks
iv every 4 weeks for 24 weeks
Peking University People's Hospital
Beijing, China
Beijing Union Hospital
Beijing, China
General Hospital of Chinese PLA; Department of Hematology
Beijing, China
The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University
Percentage of Participants With an American College of Rheumatology (ACR)20 Response at Week 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 \[LOCF\]).
Time frame: Week 24
Percentage of Participants With ACR50 and ACR70 Responses at Week 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.
Time frame: Week 24
Number of Participants Who Received Escape Therapy
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.
Time frame: 24 Weeks
Change in Tender and Swollen Joint Counts From Baseline to 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.
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Guangzhou, China
The 1st Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University
Harbin, China
Qilu Hospital of Shandong University
Jinan, China
Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Shanghai, China
Changhai Hospital of Shanghai
Shanghai, China
The First Affiliated Hospital of The Fourth Military Medical University (Xijing Hospital)
Xi'an, China
Time frame: Baseline and Week 24
Change in Participant's Global Assessment of Disease Activity From Baseline to 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.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 24
Change in Physician's Global Assessment of Disease Activity From Baseline to 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).
Time frame: Baseline and Week 24
Change in Participant's Global Assessment of Pain From Baseline to 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.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 24
Change in C-Reactive Protein From Baseline to 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.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 24
Change in ESR From Baseline to Week 24
The ESR was measured in mm/hour. A reduction in the level is considered an improvement.
Time frame: Baseline and Week 24
Percentage of Participants With Low Disease Activity and in Clinical Remission
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.
Time frame: Baseline and Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24
Change From Baseline to Week 24 in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue Score
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 frame: Baseline and Week 24
Mean Rheumatoid Factor at Baseline and Week 24
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.
Time frame: Baseline and 24 Weeks
Change in Hemoglobin From Baseline to Week 24
Levels of hemoglobin were determined in grams/liter (g/L)as a measure of anemia in participants
Time frame: Baseline and 24 Weeks
Change in Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disease Index (HAQ-DI) From Baseline to Week 24
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.
Time frame: Baseline and 24 Weeks
Percentage of Participants With ACR20 Response by First Week of Onset
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.
Time frame: Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24
Time to First Low Disease Activity
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 frame: Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24
Time to First Remission
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
Time frame: Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24