A Comparison of Methotrexate Alone or Combined to Infliximab or to Pulse Methylprednisolone in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

October 18, 2007 updated by: Université Catholique de Louvain

Phase IV Study of Early RA: a Randomized Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Comparing the Effects of Methotrexate Alone or in Combination With Infliximab or Intravenous Pulse Methylprednisolone

The purpose of the study is to compare the effects of methotrexate (MTX) alone or in combination with intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone (MP) or infliximab (IFX) on MRI-detected synovitis, bone edema and erosive changes in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The effects of Glucocorticoïds and Infliximab have never been compared in early RA using MRI as primary outcome measure. In the current study, we compare the effects of MTX alone or in combination with intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy or IFX on MRI-detected synovitis, bone edema and erosive changes in early RA patients.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

45

Phase

  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Belgium
      • Brussels, Belgium, 1200
        • Université Catholique de Louvain

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients were eligible for this study if they met the American Rheumatism Association classification criteria for RA (9), had a disease duration inferior to one year, suffered from active disease (defined as the presence of a swollen joint count [SJC] ≥ 6 [by the 66 joints count] and a tender joint count [TJC] ≥ 8 [by the 68 joints count]) and had not been treated with MTX before.
  • Patients were eligible for this study if they met the American Rheumatism Association classification criteria for RA (9), had a disease duration inferior to one year, suffered from active disease (defined as the presence of a swollen joint count [SJC] ≥ 6 [by the 66 joints count] and a tender joint count [TJC] ≥ 8 [by the 68 joints count]) and had not been treated with MTX before.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Exclusion criteria included past/current history of tuberculosis, congestive heart disease, past treatment with GC for more than 3 months (and not during the 4 weeks before inclusion), previous treatment with more than 2 DMARDs, MTX, IV MP pulse.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: A
Methotrexate
Drug: Methotrexate
Drug: Infliximab, methylprednisolone, methotrexate
Active Comparator: B
MTX + MP
Drug: Infliximab, methylprednisolone, methotrexate
Drug: Methotrexate + Methylprednisolone
Active Comparator: C
MTX + IFX
Drug: Infliximab, methylprednisolone, methotrexate
Drug: Methotrexate + Infliximab

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
MRI synovitis, bone edema and erosions score
Time Frame: baseline, week 18 and 52
baseline, week 18 and 52

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Efficacy (DAS Score, ACR response)
Time Frame: every 2 months
every 2 months
Side effects
Time Frame: every visit
every visit

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Université Catholique de Louvain

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Patrick Durez, MD, Université Catholique de Louvain

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 6, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 6, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

November 7, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 19, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 18, 2007

Last Verified

October 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CIERA

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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