Early response to certolizumab pegol predicts long-term outcomes in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: Results from the Japanese studies

Objectives. A post-hoc analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the timing and magnitude of DAS28(ESR) response and long term outcomes in Japanese patients after 1 year of CZP treatment. Methods. Our analysis included 82 J-RAPID trial patients treated with CZP 200 mg and methotrexate, and 116 HIKARI trial patients treated with CZP 200 mg alone or with disease-modifying agents other than methotrexate. Remission rates and changes in mTSS at year 1 were compared to the DAS28(ESR) response at week 12 of CZP treatment. Results. After 1 year of treatment, remission was achieved in 41.3% of the J-RAPID and 34.9% of the HIKARI patients with a week 12 DAS28(ESR) response of ≥ 1.2. In comparison, patients with a DAS28(ESR) response of ≥ 1.2 at week 12 only had a ≥ 7% probability of achieving remission and displayed higher change in mTSS after 1-year treatment. Conclusions. The likelihood of remission and extent of radiographic progression after 1 year was associated with the week 12 DAS28(ESR) response. The DAS28(ESR) response at 12 weeks could be benefi cial for identifying patients that are unlikely to respond to prolonged CZP treatment.