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news.UCB's RAPID 2 study evaluating Cimzia plus methotrexate (MTX) has demonstrated rapid relief from symptoms linked with the burden of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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The study results suggested that the adult patients evaluated with Cimzia that achieved early responses were found to have an increased chance of achieving longer-term outcomes.
In the RAPID 2 study, patients with active RA with inadequate responses to MTX therapy were randomised to receive certolizumab pegol (400mg at weeks 0, 2 and 4 followed by 200mg or 400mg every two weeks) plus MTX, or placebo together with MTX for 24 weeks.
At week 24, more patients in the certolizumab pegol treatment groups reported improvements = MCID in all six PROs (pain, fatigue, patient’s global assessment of disease (PtGA), physical function by HAQ, and HRQOL by SF-36 physical and mental component summary scores).
Furthermore, at week 24, 63% of certolizumab pegol 200mg treated patients reported improvements in = 1 PRO compared with 13% in placebo groups, and approximately 23% of all certolizumab pegol treated patients reported clinically meaningful improvements in all six PROs compared with 3% in placebo groups.
Lead investigator Vibeke Strand said these data show that when administered with methotrexate, certolizumab pegol offers rapid relief across a broad range of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and that relatively few patients need to be treated before at least one patient reports clinical benefits from the positive relief the treatment provides.
”By assessing patient-reported outcomes at early-stages of treatment we are able to predict late-stage clinical outcomes and treatment benefits for patients, providing great reassurance to both patients and their healthcare professionals," Strand said.