Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41617358›Full record

Trial reportRMD open2026

Do high rheumatoid factor levels impact response to certolizumab pegol in patients with inadequately controlled rheumatoid arthritis? A post hoc analysis of the phase IIIb REALISTIC trial.

Josef S Smolen, Ted R Mikuls, James Galloway, Ulf Müller-Ladner, Jeffrey R Curtis, Motomu Hashimoto, Tsutomu Takeuchi, Ernest Choy, Yoshiya Tanaka, Carlos Cara and 4 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIIMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in RMD open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00717236 (A Phase IIIb Multicenter Study With a 12-week Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Period Followed by an Open-label, Extension Phase Evaluating Safety/Efficacy of Certolizumab Pegol Given to Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis.), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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.

NCT00717236 phase3completednot on this map

A Phase IIIb Multicenter Study With a 12-week Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Period Followed by an Open-label, Extension Phase Evaluating Safety/Efficacy of Certolizumab Pegol Given to Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis.

TypeinterventionalSponsorUCB PharmaRan2008 to 2011Enrolled1,648ConditionsRheumatoid ArthritisArmsCertolizumab pegol (CZP), Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Ozoralizumab, a trivalent anti-TNFα NANOBODYFrontiers in immunology · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Josef S SmolenDivision of Rheumatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria josef.smolen@meduniwien.ac.at.ORCID 0000-0002-4302-8877
Ted R MikulsDivision of Rheumatology and Immunology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
James GallowayCentre for Rheumatic Diseases, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1230-2781
Ulf Müller-LadnerDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Campus Kerckhoff, Bad Nauheim, Germany.
Jeffrey R CurtisDivision of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Motomu HashimotoDepartment of Clinical Immunology, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan.
Tsutomu TakeuchiDivision of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
Ernest ChoyDivision of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4459-8609
Yoshiya TanakaDepartment of Molecular Targeted Therapeutics, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-0807-7139
Carlos CaraUCB, Madrid, Spain.
Bernard LauwerysUCB, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID 0000-0003-3243-6151
Nicola TiltUCB, Slough, UK.
Baran UfuktepeUCB, Brussels, Belgium.
Peter C TaylorNuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7766-6167

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo assess the impact of rheumatoid factor (RF) levels and previous inadequate responses/intolerance to tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR) on the efficacy of certolizumab pegol (CZP) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through a post hoc analysis of the RA Evaluation in Subjects Receiving TNF Inhibitor CZP (REALISTIC) trial.

methodsIn the phase IIIb REALISTIC trial, patients with RA were randomised to CZP (400 mg at weeks 0, 2 and 4, then 200 mg every 2 weeks) or placebo (PBO) for 12 weeks, followed by open-label CZP (minimum 16 weeks). Outcomes reported to week 36 include Disease Activity Score 28 C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) scores, rates of DAS28-CRP <2.6 and CDAI remission (CDAI ≤2.8) and components of each. Data were stratified by baseline RF level (≤3rd quarter (≤Q3; <180 kU/L) vs 4th quarter (Q4; 'high RF'; ≥180 kU/L)) and prior TNFi use (TNFinaïve vs TNFi-IR).

resultsA total of 930 patients were included: 751 CZP-randomised and 179 PBO-randomised. At week 12, CZP-randomised patients experienced marked and similar improvements in disease activity, irrespective of RF level and prior TNFi use, while PBO-randomised patients did not. Responses generally improved through week 36 in CZP-treated patients (including PBO-randomised switchers), with similar efficacy across subgroups.

conclusionsPatients with high and low RF levels experienced similar clinical responses to CZP treatment, irrespective of previous inadequate responses or intolerance to TNFis. These findings expand previous observations, supporting CZP as an effective treatment for patients with RA who have high RF levels and prior inadequate responses to TNFis. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00717236.

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidCertolizumab PegolRheumatoid FactorAdultAgedBiomarkersC-Reactive ProteinFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaTumor Necrosis Factor InhibitorsAntirheumatic AgentsBiomarkersCertolizumab PegolC-Reactive ProteinRheumatoid FactorTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaTumor Necrosis Factor InhibitorsCertolizumab pegolRheumatoid ArthritisRheumatoid FactorTumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID41617358
PMCPMC12887508

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Registered trials

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.