NCT01015547

Aggressive Combination Drug Therapy in Very Early Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Comparison of Anti-TNF Therapy Plus Methotrexate, Combination Therapy of DMARDs, and Methotrexate Alone in Very Early Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. A National Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial.

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (actual)
• Sponsor: Helsinki University Central Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 4 Years – 15 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The objective of this study is to compare in very early polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) the efficacy, safety, and cost-benefit-ratio of three treatment strategies: biologic combination, combination of conventional disease-modifying drugs (DMARDs), and methotrexate alone.

Detailed description

DMARD-naive polyarticular JIA patients with an early disease (onset less than 6 months) are randomized into one of three treatment strategies: (1) biological combination, i.e., anti-TNF therapy with infliximab plus methotrexate; (2) Combination of DMARDs with methotrexate, sulfasalazine, plus hydroxychloroquine; and (3) Methotrexate alone. The efficacy is evaluated by American College of Rheumatology Pediatric (ACR Pedi) criteria based on 6 core set variables (CSVs): 1. no of active joints; 2. no. of joints with pain or tenderness and limitation of motion; 3. ESR (mm/hr); 4. the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ); 5. Physician's Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); 6. Patient/Parent VAS. To fulfill ACR Pedi 75 criteria, 3/6 CSVs have to improve 75% and not more than 1/6 CSV worsen more than 30%. All direct and indirect costs are documented. The first phase of the study is open-label clinical trial lasting for 54 weeks. In the second phase of the study the patients are followed up to 5 years, and the long-term outcome of early aggressive therapy is analyzed. Serum, urine, and saliva samples are collected at 3 and 5 years for translational research.

Conditions

• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Infliximab plus methotrexate	IFX given 3-5mg/kg every 6 weeks, oral MTX given 15mg/m2 weekly. If ACR Pedi 75 is not reached by week 12, MTX dose is doubled up to parenteral 30 mg/m2 weekly dose. If patient does not reach ACR Pedi 30 after dose escalation, failure.
DRUG	Combination of DMARDs	IFX given 3-5mg/kg every 6 weeks, oral MTX given 15mg/m2 weekly, SSZ 40mg/kg up to 2000mg daily, HCQ 5mg/kg daily. If ACR Pedi 75 is not reached by week 12, MTX dose is doubled up to parenteral 30 mg/m2 weekly dose. If patient does not reach ACR Pedi 30 after dose escalation, failure.
DRUG	Methotrexate alone	Oral MTX given 15mg/m2 weekly. If ACR Pedi 75 is not reached by week 12, MTX dose is doubled up to parenteral 30 mg/m2 weekly dose. If patient does not reach ACR Pedi 30 after dose escalation, failure.

Timeline

• Start date: 2003-05-01
• Primary completion: 2007-11-01
• Completion: 2013-12-01
• First posted: 2009-11-18
• Last updated: 2015-10-15

Locations

6 sites across 1 country: Finland