Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Randomized, Head-to-Head, Single-Blind Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Abatacept Versus Subcutaneous Adalimumab, Both With Background Methotrexate, in Biologic-Naive Subjects With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is demonstrate that subcutaneous abatacept is non-inferior (no worse than) to subcutaneous adalimumab in the treatment of subjects with rheumatoid arthritis who are biologic naive


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for at least 3 months prior to screening
* Have been treated with and tolerated methotrexate (MTX) at a dose of at least 15 mg/week for at least 3 months prior to screening, and have been on a stable MTX dose of 15 mg/week to 25 mg/week for at least 4 weeks prior to screening
* Have an active RA, as defined by disease activity with at least 6 swollen and 6 tender joints, at the time of screening and at baseline
* C-Reactive Protein greater than or equal to 1.0 mg/dL at screening
* No history of latent or active tuberculosis prior to screening

Exclusion Criteria:

* Other inflammatory diseases, including but not limited to psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or lyme disease
* Treated with disease modifying agents (other than methotrexate)/systemic immunosuppressives (eg, D-penicillamine, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, oral or parenteral gold, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, azathioprine, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil) during the 4 weeks prior to first administration of study agent
* Received intra-articular (in the joint), intramuscular (in the muscle), or intravenous corticosteroids, including adrenocorticotropic hormone, during the 4 weeks prior to first administration of study agent
* Known allergy to human immunoglobulin proteins or other components of golimumab
* Received any commercial or investigational anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapy such as but not exclusively infliximab, golimumab, adalimumab or etanercept
B: Inclusion Criteria

1. Male and female subjects aged ≥18 years at the time of signing the Informed Consent Form.
2. Patients with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis as per the ACR/EULAR 2010 classification criteria (Appendix 7) confirmed at least 24 weeks prior to the screening visit.
3. Patients who have failed conventional DMARD therapy as per NICE/BSR Guidelines (49) i.e. failure of at least 2 DMARDS including MTX.
4. Patients with persistent RA disease activity despite having been treated with a current initial TNFi agent for at least 12 weeks. Active RA defined as\*:

   1. Primary non-response: failing to improve DAS28 by \> 1.2 (Appendix 6) or failing to achieve DAS28 ≤ 3.2 within the first 12 to 24 weeks of starting the initial TNFi.

      • This may include patients that have shown a reduction in DAS28 of \> 1.2 but still demonstrate unacceptably high disease activity in the physician's judgement with evidence of an overall DAS28 of ≥ 3.2 OR
   2. Secondary non-response: defined as inefficacy to first TNFi (having demonstrated prior satisfactory response) as per clinician judgement; with intolerance not the reason for cessation of first TNFi.
5. MTX dose stable for 4 weeks prior to the screening visit and to be continued for the duration of the study.
6. Patients on NSAIDs and / or corticosteroids (oral prednisolone not exceeding 10mg daily) who have been on an unchanged regimen for at least 4 weeks prior to the screening visit and are expected to remain on a stable dose until the baseline assessments have been completed.
7. Provided written informed consent prior to any trial-specific procedures.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Major surgery (including joint surgery) within 8 weeks prior to the screening visit or planned major surgery within 52 weeks following randomization.
2. Patients with inflammatory joint disease of different origin, mixed connective tissue disease, Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or any arthritis with onset prior to 16 years of age.
3. Patients receiving doses of prednisolone \> 10mg/day within the 4 weeks prior to the screening visit.
4. Patients receiving intra-articular or intra-muscular steroid injections within 4 weeks prior to the screening visit.
5. Patients who have previously received more than 1 TNFi drug OR any other biological therapy for the treatment of RA.
6. Patients unable or unwilling to stop treatment with a prohibited DMARD (i.e synthetic DMARD aside from MTX e.g. oral or injectable gold, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, cyclosporine, azathioprine, leflunomide, sulphasalazine) prior to the start of protocol treatment.
7. Treatment with any investigational drug in the last 12 weeks prior the start of protocol treatment.
8. Patients with other co-morbidity including acute, severe infections, uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, unstable ischaemic heart disease, moderate/severe heart failure (Class III/IV of the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification system (79)), active bowel disease, active peptic ulcer disease, recent stroke (within 12 weeks before the screening visit), or any other condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, would put the patient at risk to participate in the study or would make implementation of the protocol difficult.
9. Patients with any major episode of infection requiring hospitalisation or treatment with IV antibiotics within 12 weeks of start of treatment protocol or oral antibiotics within 4 weeks of start of protocol treatment.
10. Patients at significant risk of infection, which in the opinion of the investigator would put the patient at risk to participate in the study (e.g. leg ulceration, indwelling urinary catheter, septic joint within 52 weeks (or ever if prosthetic joint still in situ)).
11. Patients with known active current or history of recurrent bacterial, viral, fungal, mycobacterial or other infections including herpes zoster (for tuberculosis and Hepatitis B and C see below), but excluding fungal infections of nail beds as per clinical judgment.
12. Patients with untreated active current or latent tuberculosis (TB). Patients should have been screened for latent TB (as per BSR guidelines) within 24 weeks prior to the screening visit and, if positive, treated following local practice guidelines prior to the start of protocol treatment.
13. Patients with active current hepatitis B and/or C infection. Patients should have been screened for hepatitis B and C within 24 weeks prior to the screening visit and if positive, excluded from the study.
14. Primary or secondary immunodeficiency (history of or currently active) unless related to primary disease under investigation.
15. Pregnancy, lactation or women of child-bearing potential (WCBP) unwilling to use an effective birth control measure (Appendix 2) whilst receiving treatment and after the last dose of protocol treatment as indicated in the relevant SmPC/IB.
16. Men whose partners are of child-bearing potential but who are unwilling to use an effective birth control measure (Appendix 2) whilst receiving treatment and after the last dose of protocol treatment as indicated in the relevant SmPC/IB.
17. Patients with known significantly impaired bone marrow function as for example significant anaemia, leukopaenia, neutropaenia or thrombocytopaenia as shown by the following laboratory values at the time of the screening visit:

    * Haemoglobin \< 8.5 g/dl
    * Platelet count \< 100 x 109 / L
    * White blood cell count \< 2.0 x 109 / L
    * Neutrophil count \< 1 x 109 / L
18. Patients with known severe hypoproteinaemia at the time of the screening visit, e.g. in nephrotic syndrome or impaired renal function, as shown by:

    * Serum Creatinine \> 150 umol / L
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Have a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (according to the revised 1987 criteria of the ACR) for at least 3 months prior to first administration of study agent
* Are methotrexate (MTX)-naïve (ie, have not received more than 3 weekly doses of MTX for RA at any time)
* Have active RA as defined by persistent disease activity with at least 4 swollen and 4 tender joints, at the time of screening and baseline, and at least 2 of the following 4 criteria: a) C-reactive protein (CRP) \>=1.5 mg/dL at screening or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) by Westergren method of \>= 28 mm in the first hour at screening or baseline, b)Morning stiffness of \>= 30 minutes at screening and baseline, c)Bone erosion by x-ray and/or MRI prior to first administration of study agent, d)Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody-positive or rheumatoid factor (RF) positive at screening
* If using oral corticosteroids, must be on a stable dose equivalent to \<= 10 mg of prednisone/day for at least 2 weeks prior to first administration of study agent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Can not have inflammatory diseases other than RA that might confound the evaluation of the benefit of golimumab therapy
* No treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)/systemic immunosuppressives during the 4 weeks prior to the first administration of study agent
* No prior treatment with biologic anti-TNF drugs (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab)
* No history of, or ongoing, chronic or recurrent infectious disease
* No serious infection within 2 months prior to first administration of study agent.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Moderate to severe Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria
* Methotrexate failure
* Naive to RA biologics
* ≤5 years duration of disease
* Disease Activity Score-28 C-reactive protein (DAS28 CRP) ≥ 3.2
* Willingness to self-inject subcutaneous (SC) drug

Exclusion Criteria:

* Previous or current medical conditions that are warnings against the use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking agents
* History of active or chronic hepatitis
* Cancer in the last 5 years
* History of severe chronic or recurrent bacterial or viral infections
* Risk of tuberculosis
* Current symptoms of severe, progressive, or uncontrolled renal, hepatic, hematologic, Gastro-intestinal, pulmonary, cardiac, neurologic, or cerebral disease

Answer: D