Conditions: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis Golimumab Methotrexate Fully Human anti-TNFa monoclonal antibody Simpony
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 444
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of golimumab, alone or in combination with methotrexate (MTX), as compared to methotrexate alone in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who have active rheumatoid arthritis despite treatment with MTX.

Detailed description:
This is a randomized (treatment is assigned by chance), double-blind (neither the physician nor the patient is aware of the received treatment), placebo-controlled study of multiple subcutaneous (SC) administrations of golimumab at 2 doses as monotherapy or in combination with MTX in patients with active RA despite treatment with MTX. The duration of participation in the study for an individual patient will be upto 268 weeks. The patients will be randomly assigned in a 3:3:2:2 ratio to receive golimumab 50 mg or 100 mg or placebo injections under the skin every 4 weeks through week 20 and methotrexate or placebo capsules will be given in addition. At Week 24, all subjects will receive golimumab 50mg or 100mg injections, and golimumab continues for all groups for about 4 and a half more years. At Week 16 any patient in the study who meets criteria for \< 20% improvement from baseline in both swollen and tender joint count will enter early escape in a double-blinded fashion. Treatment during the long-term extension will start at Week 52 and continue every 4 weeks thereafter for a total of approximately 5 years from the initial (Week 0) administration of study agent. Patients will return for scheduled follow-up visits generally every 12 weeks for a total length of follow-up of approximately 5 years from the first administration of the study drug.

Arms:
arm 1: Placebo subcutaneous (SC) injections every 4 weeks from Week 0 to Week 20 (early escape at Week 16); Methotrexate - 15 to 25mg weekly from Week 0 up to 5 yrs; Golimumab - if early escape, 50mg SC injections every 4 weeks from Week 16 up to 5 years; Golimumab - 50 mg SC injections every 4 weeks from Week 24 up to 5 yrs (unless early escape); Methotrexate - Dr's discretion, weekly dose adjusted after unblinding; Golimumab - Dr's discretion after unblinding, dose adjusted from 50 to 100mg and from 100 to 50mg. Duration of the blinded period will be until the week-52 database lock. arm 2: Golimumab 100 mg SC injections every 4 weeks from Week 0 up to 5 yrs; Placebo - 7-10 capsules weekly during blinded period (or Week 16 if early escape); Methotrexate - if early escape, 15 to 25mg weekly from Week 16 up to 5 yrs; Methotrexate - Dr's discretion, weekly dose adjusted after unblinding; Golimumab - Dr's discretion after unblinding, dose adjusted from 100 to 50mg. Duration of the blinded period will be until the week-52 database lock. arm 3: Golimumab 50 mg SC injections every 4 weeks from Week 0 up to 5 yrs (unless early escape at Week 16); Methotrexate - 15 to 25 mg weekly from Week 0 up to 5 years; Golimumab - if early escape, 100 mg SC injections every 4 weeks from Week 16 up to 5 yrs; Methotrexate - Dr's discretion, weekly dose adjusted after unblinding; Golimumab - Dr's discretion after unblinding, dose adjusted from 50 to100mg and from 100 to 50mg. Duration of the blinded period will be until the week-52 database lock. arm 4: Golimumab100 mg SC injections every 4 weeks from Week 0 up to 5 yrs; Methotrexate - 15 to 25 mg weekly from Week 0 up to 5 yrs; Methotrexate - Dr's discretion, weekly dose adjusted after unblinding; Golimumab - Dr's discretion after unblinding, dose adjusted from 100 to 50mg. Duration of the blinded period will be until the week-52 database lock.

Interventions: intervention 1: Golimumab 100 mg intervention 2: Golimumab 50 mg intervention 3: Methotrexate intervention 4: Placebo injection intervention 5: Placebo capsules
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Participants will receive subcutaneous (SC) injections of golimumab 100 mg every 4 weeks. intervention 2: Participants will receive subcutaneous (SC) injections of golimumab 50 mg every 4 weeks. intervention 3: Participants will receive methotrexate capsules weekly. intervention 4: Participants will receive subcutaneous (SC) injections of placebo every 4 weeks. intervention 5: Participants will receive placebo capsules weekly

Protocol document: