a study of golimumab in participants with active ankylosing spondylitis

Conditions: Ankylosing Spondylitis

Summary: the purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of intravenously (administration of a fluid into the vein) administered golimumab 2 milligram per kilogram (mg/kg) in participants with active ankylosing spondylitis (chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that involves the sacroiliac joints, and often the axial skeleton, entheses, and peripheral joints).

this is a phase 3, multicenter (when more than one hospital or medical school team work on a medical research study), randomized (study drug assigned by chance), double-blind (neither the researchers nor the participants know what treatment the participant is receiving), placebo-controlled (an inactive substance; a pretend treatment \[with no drug in it\] that is compared in a clinical trial with a drug to test if the drug has a real effect) study of golimumab compared with placebo in participants with active ankylosing spondylitis. the study comprises of 4 phases: screening phase (up to 6 weeks), double-blind placebo-controlled phase (week 0 to week 16), active treatment phase (week 16 to week 52), and safety follow-up phase (8 weeks from last study drug administration). total duration of the study will be 60 weeks per participant. eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either treatment group 1: placebo or treatment group 2: golimumab. participants randomized to placebo group, will receive intravenous infusions of placebo at weeks 0, 4 and 12. at week 16, all participants receiving placebo will begin receiving intravenous infusions of golimumab (2 mg/kg) at weeks 16, 20 and thereafter every 8 weeks up to week 52. participants randomized to golimumab group, will receive intravenous infusions of golimumab 2 mg/kg at weeks 0, 4 and thereafter every 8 weeks up to week 52. at week 16, participants randomized to golimumab group will receive a placebo infusion to maintain the blind. the efficacy will be assessed primarily by measuring percentage of participants who achieve a 20 percent improvement from baseline in the assessment in ankylosing spondylitis (asas) at week 16. participant's safety will be monitored throughout the study.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * participants with diagnosis of definite ankylosing spondylitis for at least 3 months based on modified new york radiographic and clinical criteria * participants with symptoms of active disease at screening and at baseline * participant has either an inadequate response to at least 2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaid) over a 4 week period in total with maximal recommended doses of nsaids, or is unable to receive a full 4 weeks of maximal nsaid therapy because of intolerance, toxicity, or contraindications to nsaids * participants with c- reactive protein (crp) level of greater than or equal to (\>=) 0.3 milligram per deciliter (mg/dl) at screening * additional protocol-defined inclusion criteria apply exclusion criteria: * participant with other inflammatory diseases that might confound the evaluations of benefit from the golimumab therapy * pregnant or lactating females * participants with chest radiograph within 3 months prior to the first administration of study agent that shows an abnormality suggestive of a malignancy or current active infection, including tuberculosis * participants who had a serious infection (including but not limited to, hepatitis, pneumonia, sepsis, or pyelonephritis), or have been hospitalized for an infection, or have been treated with intravenous (iv) antibiotics for an infection within 2 months prior to first administration of study agent * additional protocol-defined exclusion criteria apply

Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis golimumab simponi