a study to evaluate the effectiveness of infliximab and changes in hand and wrist magnetic resonance imaging (mri) in participants with active rheumatoid arthritis (ra) (p08136)

Conditions: Arthritis, Rheumatoid

Summary: this is a study to compare the effect of infliximab versus placebo on synovial inflammation as measured by dynamic contrast enhanced (dce)-mri of one wrist. the primary hypothesis is that over 14 weeks of therapy, the change from baseline in the volume transfer rate in enhancing synovium is larger due to treatment with infliximab than with placebo.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * must have a clinical diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis for at least 6 months * must have at least 6 tender joints and 6 swollen joints * has a c-reactive protein ≥ 1.0 mg/l or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr) ≥ 28 mm/hr * baseline mri must show evidence of synovitis in the wrist * must have screening laboratory tests within acceptable levels * women of childbearing potential and all men must agree to use a medically accepted method of contraception prior to entering the study and continue throughout study up to 6 weeks after study completion * must meet tuberculosis (tb) screening criteria * have received methotrexate therapy for ≥ 3 months; dose must be stable for at least 8 weeks * if taking the a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (dmard) in combination with methotrexate must be on a stable dose * must have a clinically acceptable 12 lead electrocardiogram (ecg) * if taking oral corticosteroids must be on a stable dose equivalent to ≤10 mg of prednisone (or prednisolone) per day for ≥2 weeks * if taking daily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (nsaid) must be on a stable dose for ≥2 weeks; if taking nsaid on an as-needed basis must agree to discontinue use for at least 3 days and use only acetaminophen for breakthrough pain for 3 days before each mri and clinic visit * if received biological therapies, the last dose of these drugs was to be received ≥ 3 months prior to the baseline visit and the reason for discontinuations was not for safety considerations or lack of efficacy exclusion criteria: * are pregnant, intend to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding * has inflammatory arthritis other than ra * has uncontrolled hypertension * has moderate or severe congestive heart failure * has a history of or current signs and/or symptoms of severe, progressive, or uncontrolled renal, hepatic, hematological, gastrointestinal, endocrine, pulmonary, cardiac, neurological, cerebral, or psychiatric disease * has a history of demyelinating disease or symptoms suggestive of multiple sclerosis or optic neuritis * is currently participating in another clinical study or have participated in a clinical study (e.g., laboratory or clinical evaluation) within 4 weeks * has history of any tumor with the exception of adequately treated basal cell carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix * has a history of any latent or active granulomatous infection including histoplasmosis, or coccidiomycosis * had a non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection or opportunistic infection (e.g. cytomegalovirus, pneumocystis carinii, aspergillosis) within 6 months * has a history of an infected joint prosthesis which has not been removed or replaced * has a known hypersensitivity to human immunoglobulin proteins or other components of infliximab * has received rituximab or natalizumab * has known claustrophobia or other contraindication to mri * does not meet washout period guidelines for previous treatments/injections/vaccinations