The overall purpose of this trial is to assess efficacy and safety of the combination of low doses of Methotrexate (MTX) with anti Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) alpha to improve initial efficacy and maintenance rate of anti-TNF alpha treatment in patients with psoriasis.
The combination of an anti-TNF alpha and methotrexate may also prevent the development of antibodies to anti TNF alpha. Observational studies indicated that MTX dose-dependently inhibits the development of anti-drug antibodies and could reduce the accelerated clearance of biological agents associated with loss of therapeutic response in inflammatory diseases. Reduced ADA development influence positively clinical response and therefore likely drug maintenance through optimizations of drug pharmacokinetics and serum anti TNF alpha trough concentrations. In psoriasis, there is no prospective evaluation of the combination MTX-anti TNF alpha to help to maintain long-term efficacy for all anti TNF alpha. Long-term maintenance treatment with the combination of MTX and infliximab was reported in one small retrospective cohort study of psoriasis patients experiencing a loss of response to infliximab (55). In total 23 patients received as a rescue either azathioprine (5 patients) or weekly MTX (18 patients) (7.5 to 15 mg, average 11.66 mg) in combination with infliximab. After a mean follow up of 26.5 months, only 2 patients on MTX combination stopped infliximab for loss of response which is lower compared to the 50% loss of response observed with infliximab monotherapy (55). The combination of anti TNF alpha and MTX was also retrospectively assessed in observational studies. Most of them suggest that the systematic combination of MTX to biologic since the anti TNF alpha initiation improve survival rate of biologics (21, 24, 29, 30, 31). A retrospective cohort study including 93 patients treated with infliximab for psoriasis showed that concomitant MTX at an average weekly dose of dose of 7.5 to 17.5 mg of MTX enhanced the maintenance of response and prolonged drug survival (by a mean ± SD of 19.5 ± 8.1 months, P = 0.034) (23). In addition, time until first infliximab dose escalation was delayed in patients receiving MTX (by a mean ± SD of 12.0 ± 6.1 months, P =0 .037). In the same study, after 2 years of treatment, 25% of patients without MTX were still under the initial infliximab regimen versus 40% of patients receiving a combination of infliximab with MTX (30). The ability of MTX to prolong drug survival was also suggested in psoriatic arthritis in several observational studies (26, 27, 52, 56). In a longitudinal observational study, the 1-year retention rate of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha medications in patients with RA and PsA were 65.4% and 77.3%, respectively with concomitant MTX associated with a better drug survival (52). In this study, the combination with MTX was also associated with a crude 1-year survival of 85% in PsA versus 70% without concomitant MTX, p=0.02 (52). In the Danish biologics registry DANBIO, male sex, CRP level \>10 mg/liter, concomitant methotrexate use, and low patient health visual analog scale score at baseline were associated with longer drug survival in PsA patients (27). To summarize, there is a need to improve drug survival as well as level of response rates with biologics, especially for psoriasis patients. Low doses methotrexate when combining to biologics could be an option in psoriasis patients to solve such crucial issues.
Use of low dose methotrexate (MTX) in psoriasis patients receiving an anti TNF alpha agent
Use of placebo- MTX in psoriasis patients receiving anti TNF alpha agent according to the approved indication
Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille
Marseille, France
Loss of response from the index anti TNF alpha
The primary endpoint is the loss of response from the index anti TNF alpha is defined as the time (or time interval) between baseline and the loss of PASI 75 response (loss of the improvement of at least 75% of the initial disease severity (loss of PASI 75).The respective loss of response between MTX and placebo in combination with the anti TNF alpha will be assessed for both groups during month (M) 24. The survival curves will be compared between the groups (MTX and placebo) using the log rank test.
Time frame: 24 months
Initial response to the index anti TNF alpha
measured by the PASI score assessed at M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha). It will be categorized as follows: * Efficacy: achievement of at least 75% improvement from baseline PASI score i. e. PASI \>= 75 at M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha). * Intermediate response: achievement of a PASI response between 50% and 75% improvement from baseline PASI score at M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha). * Treatment failure: less than 50% improvement from baseline PASI score i. e. PASI \< 50 at M3(etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha). The initial response rates will be assessed in the whole population and also separately for each anti TNF alpha agent at M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha).
Time frame: 4 months
The maintenance of response rates proportion of patients who are still treated with the index anti TNF alpha agent without any drug adjustment
It will be assessed after M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha) according to: The maintenance of response rates will be assessed in the whole population and also separately for each anti TNF alpha agent at M6, M9, M12, M18, M24.physiological parameter,
Time frame: 24 months
Assessment of patient's quality of life using the Dermatology Quality of Life (DLQI)
DLQI is a dermatology-specific Quality of Life instrument . Assessment will be performed at baseline, M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha), M9, M12, M18, M24. \- Treatment satisfaction assessment for medication will be assessed at M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha), M9, M12, M18, M24.
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Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
78
Time frame: 24 months
Assessment of the study drugs 'safety: number of Adverse Events (AE) and serious adverse events (SAE), as well as the proportion of discontinuation due to AEs and/or SAEs
Time frame: 24 months
Assessment of the sutdy drugs' (MTX and MTX placebo) tolerability by measuring the possible changes in vital signs and occurence of AE such as asthenia, digestive tolerance, headache.
Vital signs, temperature and clinical examination will be assessed at M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha), M9, M12, M18, M24 . Changes with blood safety laboratory analysis (hematology, liver and renal tests recommended by SmPC and pregnancy tests) will also be assessed at M1, M2, M3 (etanercept) or M4 (others anti-TNF alpha), M6, M9, M12, M15, M18, M21, M24
Time frame: 24 months