A multi-biomarker score measuring disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients tapering adalimumab or etanercept: predictive value for clinical and radiographic outcomes.
The aim was to evaluate the predictive value of the baseline multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) score in long-standing RA patients with low disease activity tapering TNF inhibitors (TNFi) for successful tapering or discontinuation, occurrence of flare and major flare, and radiographic progression.



Dose REduction Strategies of Subcutaneous TNF inhibitors (Dutch Trial Register, NTR 3216) is an 18-month non-inferiority randomized controlled trial comparing tapering of TNFi until discontinuation or flaring with usual care (UC) in long-standing RA patients with stable low disease activity. Flare was defined as DAS28-CRP increase >1.2 or >0.6 if current DAS ⩾3.2; major flare was a flare lasting >3 months, despite treatment intervention. MBDA scores were measured at baseline. Radiographs were scored at baseline and 18 months using the Sharp-van der Heijde score. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was used to analyse the capability of baseline MBDA score to predict the above-mentioned outcomes.



Serum samples and outcomes were available for 171 of 180 patients from Dose REduction Strategies of Subcutaneous TNF inhibitors (115 tapering; 56 UC). AUROC analyses showed that baseline MBDA score was not predictive for the above-mentioned clinical outcomes in the taper group, but did predict major flare in the UC group (AUROC = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.88). Radiographic progression was minimal and was not predicted by MDBA score.



In this disease activity-guided strategy study of TNFi tapering in RA patients with low disease activity, baseline MBDA score was not predictive for successful tapering, discontinuation, flare, major flare or radiographic progression in patients who tapered TNFi.
Department of Rheumatology, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Chantal A M
CAM
Bouman
Department of Rheumatology, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Aatke
A
van der Maas
Department of Rheumatology, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Noortje
N
van Herwaarden
Crescendo Bioscience, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Eric H
EH
Sasso
Department of Rheumatology, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Department of Rheumatology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Frank H J
FHJ
van den Hoogen
Department of Rheumatology, Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Department of Rheumatology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Alfons A
AA
den Broeder
D000068879:Adalimumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D000068800:Etanercept / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D000068879:Adalimumab; D000068800:Etanercept
anti-TNF; disease activity; multi-biomarker disease activity score; rheumatoid arthritis; tapering; treatment