Screening for Flare After b/tsDMARD Discontinuation in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trial

Official title: Screening for Flare After Discontinuation of Biological/Targeted Synthetic Disease Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drug (b/tsDMARD) in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Status Not yet recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

To evaluate whether stringent follow-up consisting of combined laboratory and ultrasound surveillance is superior to clinical monitoring alone to maintain clinical remission in rheumatoid arthritis.

Clinical Trial Description

Randomized, controlled, parallel-group, multi-centre study in which patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with biological/targeted synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drug (b/tsDMARD) in mono- or combination therapy with conventional synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD) in a stable dosage and interval for ≥6 months with low disease activity or remission will receive an power Doppler musculoskeletal ultrasound examination (PDUS) and monitoring of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at baseline and several timepoints within a 24 month study period (primary endpoint) and within a 48 month long-term extension. At baseline, b/tsDMARD medication will be withdrawn in all patients, who will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio in an "Assisted monitoring" (arm A) or a "Clinical monitoring" (arm B) arm respectively. Further stratification for remission vs. low disease activity and mono- vs combination therapy will be implemented in the randomisation process. In arm A, CRP and PDUS information will be made available to the clinical assessors who, at each time-point will use this information along with that from clinical examination, to identify patients experiencing recurrence of inflammation which will then be counted as subclinical flare according to predefined criteria. In arm B the results of CRP and PDUS will be recorded but will not be made available to the clinical assessor who will have to identify clinical flares according to predefined criteria based on information from the clinical examination only. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Arthritis
• Arthritis, Rheumatoid
• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• NCT number: NCT05119452
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Medical University of Vienna
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 2022
• Completion date: September 2024