Spondyloarthritis: Inducing Drug-free Remission by Early TNF-alpha Blockade (SPARTACUS)
Peripheral Spondyloarthritis
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Peripheral Spondyloarthritis
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
SPARTACUS Phase A: "Remission-Induction Phase"
A subject will be eligible for study participation if all of the following criteria are met:
- Subjects must be able and willing to provide written informed consent and comply with the requirements of this study protocol.
- Subjects must be between 18 and 65 years of age.
- Subjects must have been diagnosed with peripheral spondyloarthritis by the treating rheumatologist.
Subjects must meet the ASAS classification criteria for peripheral spondyloarthritis: subjects must have current arthritis (asymmetric or predominantly in the lower limbs) or current enthesitis (except for enthesitis only along the spine, sacroiliac joints and/or chest wall) or current dactylitis plus at least 1 of the following SpA features:
- Anterior uveitis confirmed by an ophthalmologist (past or present)
- Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis diagnosed by a gastroenterologist (past or present).
- Evidence of preceding infection (acute diarrhea or non-gonococcal urethritis or cervicitis 1 month before arthritis).
- Psoriasis diagnosed by a dermatologist (past or present).
- HLA B27 positivity
- Sacroiliitis by imaging defined as bilateral grade 2-4 or unilateral grade 3-4 sacroiliitis on plain radiographs, according to the modified New York criteria or active sacroiliitis on MRI according to the ASAS consensus definition (ref of addendum).
- Subjects must have had onset of peripheral SpA symptoms ≤12 months prior to the screening visit.
- Subjects must have active disease at screening defined by Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) ≥ 4 and Patient Global Assessment of Pain NRS ≥ 4. At the baseline visit patients will be clinically evaluated to exclude spontaneous clinical remission.
- In subjects with concurrent axial SpA symptoms, the peripheral SpA symptoms must be the predominant symptoms at study entry based on the Investigator's clinical judgment.
- Subjects must have a negative PPD test (or equivalent) and chest radiography (anteroposterior and lateral view) at screening. If the subject has a positive PPD test (or equivalent), has had a past ulcerative reaction following PPD placement and/or a chest radiography consistent with prior TB exposure, the subject must initiate, or have documented completion of a course of anti-TB therapy.
- Women of childbearing potential or men capable of fathering children must be using adequate birth control measures during the study and for 3 months after receiving the last administration of study agent.
- Subject is judged to be in good health as determined by the principal investigator based upon the results of medical history, physical examination, laboratory profile, and chest x-ray (CXR) performed during screening.
- Subjects must be able and willing to self-administer SC injections or have a qualified person available to administer SC injections.
SPARTACUS Phase B: "Drug-Free Remission Phase"
A subject will be eligible for phase B of the study if all of the following criteria are met:
- Subjects must have participated in SPARTACUS Phase A.
- Subjects must have reached a status of sustained clinical remission (defined as absence of clinical arthritis, enthesitis and dactylitis at 2 consecutive 'major' visits with an interval of 12 weeks).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Medical history of inflammatory arthritis of a different etiology than peripheral spondyloarthritis (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, …).
- Prior adequate treatment with methotrexate and/or sulphasalazine.
- Prior exposure to any biologic therapy with a potential therapeutic impact on SpA.
- Treatment with any investigational drug of chemical or biological nature within a minimum of 30 days or 5 half-lives of the drug (whichever is longer) prior to the Baseline Visit.
- Subject is taking or has taken prohibited medications as outlined in Table 1 without meeting the mandatory washout period(s) relative to the baseline visit.
- Infection(s) requiring treatment with intravenous (iv) anti-infective agents within 30 days prior to the Baseline visit or oral anti-infectives within 14 days prior to the baseline Visit.
- Have a known hypersensitivity to human immunoglobulin proteins or other components of golimumab.
- History of central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease or neurologic symptoms suggestive of CNS demyelinating disease.
- History of listeriosis, histoplasmosis, chronic or active Hepatitis B infection, Hepatitis C infection, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, immunodeficiency syndrome, chronic recurring infections or active TB.
- (History of) chronic heart failure, including medically controlled, asymptomatic CHF.
- History of malignancy (including lymphoma and leukemia) other than a successfully treated non-metastatic cutaneous squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma or localized carcinoma in situ of the cervix.
- Have received any live virus or bacterial vaccination within 3 months prior to the first administration of study agent; patients who are expected to receive such vaccinations during the trial, or within 3 months after the last administration of study agent.
- Positive serum pregnancy test at screening.
- Female subjects who are breast-feeding.
- Clinically significant abnormal screening laboratory results as evaluated by the Investigator.
- Positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody at screening if the titers are crossing 3 times the upper limit of normal.
- Subject is considered by the investigator, for any reason, to be an unsuitable candidate for the study.
- Subject with current symptoms of fibromyalgia that would confound evaluation of the patient.
Sites / Locations
- ASZ Aalst
- AZ Sint-Jan
- AZ Maria Middelares
- UZ GhentRecruiting
- UZ Leuven GasthuisbergRecruiting
- ZNA Jan Palfijn
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Active Comparator
Active Comparator
TNFi-induction group
csDMARD-Step-up group
The patients in the TNFi-induction group will receive golimumab at a standard dose of 50 mg subcutaneously (SC) every 4 weeks (with matching methotrexate (MTX)-placebo). In case of potential intolerance or toxicity to MTX-placebo, the dose will be gradually tapered to a minimum of 7.5 mg per week. When there are no tolerability/toxicity issues, the weekly dose of MTX-placebo will be increased to 20 mg at week 4. At week 12, a "Patient Acceptable Signs & Symptoms Improvement" ('PASSI') will be assessed by asking the question "Taking into account both efficacy and side effects, did you experience over the past 12 weeks enough improvement in signs and symptoms of your' arthritis-enthesitis-dactylitis to consider continuation of the same treatment schedule for the next 12 weeks?". If yes, all study medication will be kept stable until week 24; if no, oral sulphasalazine at a dose of 2 g per day will be started (escape medication).
The patients in the csDMARD-Step-up group will start with oral methotrexate (MTX) at a weekly dose of 15 mg for 4 weeks (with matching TNFi-placebo injections). In case of potential intolerance or toxicity to MTX , the dose will be gradually tapered to a minimum of 7.5 mg per week. When there are no tolerability/toxicity issues, the weekly dose of MTX will be increased to 20 mg at week 4. At week 12, a "Patient Acceptable Signs & Symptoms Improvement" ('PASSI') will be assessed by asking the question "Taking into account both efficacy and side effects, did you experience over the past 12 weeks enough improvement in signs and symptoms of your' arthritis-enthesitis-dactylitis to consider continuation of the same treatment schedule for the next 12 weeks?". If yes, all study medication will be kept stable until week 24; if no, oral sulphasalazine at a dose of 2 g per day will be started (escape medication).