Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36205538›Full record

Trial reportRheumatology (Oxford, England)2023

Favourable effect of a 'second hit' after 13 weeks in early RA non-responders: the Amsterdam COBRA treat-to-target randomized trial.

Linda Hartman, Linda A Rasch, Samina A Turk, Marieke M Ter Wee, Pit J S M Kerstens, Conny J van der Laken, Michael T Nurmohamed, Dirkjan van Schaardenburg, Lilian H D van Tuyl, Alexandre E Voskuyl and 2 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Linda HartmanAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Linda A RaschAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-5988-4125
Samina A TurkAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Reade, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Marieke M Ter WeeDepartment of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Pit J S M KerstensDepartment of Rheumatology, Dijklander Ziekenhuis, Hoorn, The Netherlands.
Conny J van der LakenAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Michael T NurmohamedAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dirkjan van SchaardenburgAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Reade, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Lilian H D van TuylAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Alexandre E VoskuylAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Maarten BoersDepartment of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Willem F LemsAmsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of treat-to-target combination therapy with intensification at 13 weeks in early RA.

methodsEarly RA patients were classified as being at high or low risk of worsening RA based on disease activity and prognostic factors. High-risk patients received COBRA-light (prednisolone 30 mg/day tapered to 7.5 mg/day, MTX increasing to 25 mg/week), and low-risk patients received MTX monotherapy increasing to 25 mg/week. The primary outcome (target) was DAS44 < 1.6 or EULAR good response at 26 weeks. At 13 weeks, non-responders were randomized to (open-label) intensification [high-risk patients: prednisolone 60 mg/day tapered to 7.5 mg/day, addition of SSZ (2 g/day) and HCQ (400 mg/day); low-risk patients: prednisolone 30 mg/day tapered to 7.5 mg/day] or continuation.

resultsIn the high-risk group (n = 150), 110 patients (73%) reached the target at 13 weeks, and 9 dropped out. Non-responders were randomized to intensification (n = 15) or continuation (n = 16), and after 26 weeks, 12 (80%) vs 7 (44%) of these, respectively, reached the target [difference: 36%, (95% CI 2%, 71%); P = 0.04]. In the low-risk group (n = 40), 17 (43%) reached the target. Non-responders were randomized to intensification (n = 8) or continuation (n = 7); 4 vs 3, respectively, reached the target.Adverse event rates were higher in the high-risk group, and higher in the intensification subgroup of that group. Serious adverse events were rare. Protocol violations were frequent and mostly led to mitigation of actual treatment intensification.

conclusionInitial combination therapy was very successful in high-risk RA, and early intensification was beneficial in patients not reaching the strict target. The low-risk group was too small for drawing conclusions. In routine practice, adherence to early intensification based on strict targets is difficult.

trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register (NTR), NL4393, https://www.trialregister.nl/.

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidDrug Therapy, CombinationHumansMethotrexatePrednisoloneSulfasalazineTreatment OutcomeAntirheumatic AgentsMethotrexatePrednisoloneSulfasalazineDMARDsepidemiologyimmunosuppressantsRAstudy design

Identifiers

PMID36205538
PMCPMC10234185

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.