Conditions: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis Golimumab Methotrexate Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Immunology
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 643
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of golimumab intravenous (IV) infusions every 12 weeks with or without Methotrexate (MTX), compared with MTX alone, in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite concurrent MTX treatment. In addition, the safety of subcutaneous (SC) golimumab injections following transition from IV golimumab infusions will also be evaluated.

Detailed description:
This is a Phase III, double blind (neither investigator nor participant knows the treatment received), placebo-controlled (an inactive substance that is compared with the study medication to test whether the study medication has a real effect in clinical study), multicenter, 5-arm (treatment groups) study of golimumab at 2 doses (given with or without MTX over a period of 30 minutes) for at least 48 weeks in patients with active RA despite concurrent MTX therapy. The study consists of a treatment period of golimumab IV infusions (IV Period) which ranges from 48 weeks to approximately 140 weeks, assuming an enrollment period of approximately 92 weeks, and a long-term optional extension period (Extension Study) in which golimumab SC injections will be given for 24 weeks. The end of study will be the time the last participant completes the Week E-40 visit (Extension Study) for safety follow-up assessments. For the IV Period, participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of the 5 treatment groups in a 1:1:1:1:1 ratio (approximately 125 patients per group). At Week 16 and Week 24, joint assessment results will be used to allow participants to enter early escape and dose regimen adjustment, respectively, in a blinded fashion. Treatment will be unblinded after the 48-week database lock and participants will be given the option to participate in the Extension Study and receive SC injections of 50mg golimumab (with or without MTX) every 4 weeks for an additional 24 weeks. Safety will be monitored throughout the study. The entire study duration (IV Period plus Extension Study) for each participant will range from 88 weeks up to 192 weeks, assuming an enrollment period of approximately 92 weeks.

Arms:
arm 1: Intravenous (IV) infusions of 2mg/kg golimumab at Week 0 and every 12 weeks thereafter with early escape (an additional 2mg/kg IV infusion of golimumab) and dose regimen adjustment (switch to 4mg/kg IV golimumab), depending on joint assessment results, at Week 16 and 24, respectively. The duration of the combined IV treatment period (initial treatment plus early escape and/or dose regimen adjustment) will be a minimum of 48 weeks. The IV treatment period will be followed by the option of subcutaneous (SC) injections of 50mg golimumab every 4 weeks for a further 24 weeks (Extension Study). In addition, patients will receive methotrexate (MTX) at the same dose as that before study entry arm 2: IV infusions of 2mg/kg golimumab at Week 0 and every 12 weeks thereafter with early escape (addition of MTX) and dose regimen adjustment (addition of MTX or switch to 4mg/kg IV golimumab), depending on joint assessment results, at Week 16 and 24, respectively. The duration of the combined IV treatment period (initial treatment plus early escape and/or dose regimen adjustment) will be a minimum of 48 weeks. The IV treatment period will be followed by the option of SC injections of 50mg golimumab every 4 weeks for a further 24 weeks (Extension Study). In addition, patients will receive placebo (sham MTX) capsules arm 3: IV infusions of 4mg/kg golimumab at Week 0 and every 12 weeks thereafter for a minimum of 48 weeks followed by the option of SC injections of 50mg golimumab every 4 weeks for a further 24 weeks (Extension Study). In addition, patients will receive MTX at the same dose as that before study entry. arm 4: IV infusions of 4mg/kg golimumab at Week 0 and every 12 weeks thereafter with early escape (addition of MTX) and dose regimen adjustment (addition of MTX), depending on joint assessment results, at Week 16 and 24, respectively. The duration of the combined IV treatment period (initial treatment plus early escape and/or dose regimen adjustment) will be a minimum of 48 weeks. The IV treatment period will be followed by the option of SC injections of 50mg golimumab every 4 weeks for a further 24 weeks (Extension Study). In addition, patients will receive placebo (sham MTX) capsules. arm 5: IV infusions of placebo at Week 0 and Week 12 with early escape (switch to 4mg/kg IV golimumab) and dose regimen adjustment (switch to 4mg/kg IV golimumab), depending on joint assessment results, at Week 16 and 24, respectively. The duration of the combined IV treatment period (placebo plus golimumab) will be a minimum of 48 weeks. The IV treatment period will be followed by the option of SC injections of 50mg golimumab every 4 weeks for a further 24 weeks (Extension Study). In addition patients will receive MTX at the same dose as that before study entry. Participants still receiving placebo injections at Week 48 are not eligible to enter the Extension Study.

Interventions: intervention 1: Golimumab intervention 2: Methotrexate intervention 3: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 2mg/kg or 4mg/kg will be administered as an IV infusion over 30 minutes intervention 2: Active MTX capsules, filled with microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel PH 102) and a 2.5 mg MTX tablet, will be administered at the same dose as before the study entry. intervention 3: Placebo solution will be administered through IV infusion in Group V and oral placebo capsules (sham MTX) filled with microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel PH 102) will be administered in Group II and IV.

Protocol document: