MRI assessment of suppression of structural damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving rituximab: results from the randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind RA-SCORE study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate changes in structural damage and joint inflammation assessed by MRI following rituximab treatment in a Phase 3 study of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite methotrexate (MTX) who were naive to biological therapy.

Methods

Patients were randomised to receive two infusions of placebo (n=63), rituximab 500 mg (n=62), or rituximab 1000 mg (n=60) intravenously on days 1 and 15. MRI scans and radiographs of the most inflamed hand and wrist were acquired at baseline, weeks 12 (MRI only), 24 and 52. The primary end point was the change in MRI erosion score from baseline at week 24.

Results

Patients treated with rituximab demonstrated significantly less progression in the mean MRI erosion score compared with those treated with placebo at

SUBMITTER: Peterfy C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4717395 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature