Efficacy and Safety of Upadacitinib or Elsubrutinib Alone or in Combination for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Phase 2 Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The 48-week, phase 2 SLEek study (NCT03978520) evaluated the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib (Janus kinase inhibitor) and elsubrutinib (Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor) alone or in combination (ABBV-599) in adults with moderately to severely active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Patients were randomized 1:1:1:1:1 to once-daily (QD) ABBV-599 high dose (HD; elsubrutinib 60mg + upadacitinib 30mg), ABBV-599 low dose (LD; elsubrutinib 60mg + upadacitinib 15mg), elsubrutinib 60mg, upadacitinib 30mg, or placebo. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving both SLE Responder Index-4 (SRI-4) and glucocorticoid dose ≤10mg QD at week 24. Additional assessments through week 48 included British Isles Lupus Assessment Group-based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) and Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS) responses, number of flares, time to first flare, and adverse events. RESULTS: The study enrolled 341 patients. The ABBV-599LD and elsubrutinib arms were discontinued after a planned interim analysis showed lack of efficacy (no safety concerns). More patients achieved the primary endpoint with upadacitinib (54.8%; P=0.028) and ABBV-599HD (48.5%; P=0.081) versus placebo (37.3%). SRI-4, BICLA, and LLDAS response rates were higher for both upadacitinib and ABBV-599HD versus placebo at weeks 24 and 48. Flares were reduced and time to first flare through week 48 was substantially delayed with both upadacitinib and ABBV-599HD versus placebo. No new safety signals were observed beyond those previously reported for upadacitinib or elsubrutinib. CONCLUSIONS: Upadacitinib 30mg alone or in combination with elsubrutinib (ABBV-599HD) demonstrated significant improvements in SLE disease activity, reduced flares and were well tolerated through 48 weeks.

Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of Biosimilar Etanercept (Enerceptan) Versus Its Original Form in Combination With Methotrexate in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized, Multicenter, Evaluator-Blinded, Noninferiority Study.

BACKGROUND: Enerceptan (EtaBS) has been developed as a proposed biosimilar of etanercept. METHODS: This randomized, multicenter, evaluator-blinded, noninferiority study conducted in Argentina included adults with active, moderate, and severe rheumatoid arthritis with inadequate response to methotrexate. Subjects were randomly assigned to 32 weeks treatment with EtaBS (n = 99) or etanercept (n = 51) at a weekly 50-mg dose administered subcutaneously. Patients were categorized according to prior use of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and concomitant use of steroids. The primary efficacy endpoint was ACR20 response rate at week 32. Safety, immunogenicity, and steady-state concentration of both drugs were evaluated. The noninferiority margin for ACR20 was estimated at 12%. RESULTS: In the per-protocol population, 85 subjects (92.4%) treated with EtaBS and 44 subjects (93.6%) treated with etanercept achieved ACR20 (difference, -1.2%; 95% confidence interval, -10.1% to 7.6%). Frequent adverse drug reactions occurred in 34.3% and 38% of subjects treated with EtaBS and etanercept, respectively. The most common reaction was upper respiratory tract infection. Six and 3 serious adverse events occurred in 4 and 3 subjects treated with EtaBS and etanercept, respectively. Injection site reactions occurred in 67.7% and 66.0% of subjects treated with EtaBS and etanercept, respectively. Two subjects treated with EtaBS and 1 subject treated with etanercept developed antibodies by week 32. CONCLUSIONS: Efficacy outcomes for EtaBS were noninferior to original etanercept in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis with inadequate response to methotrexate. Safety and immunogenicity results were comparable between the two. This study is a major step toward improving access to biologics in Latin America.

Functional Ability and Health-Related Quality of Life in Randomized Controlled Trials of Tocilizumab in Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and disability in children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or polyarticular JIA treated with tocilizumab. METHODS: Secondary analyses of two double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of intravenous tocilizumab in children with active systemic JIA or polyarticular JIA were conducted. Patient-reported outcomes of disability (Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire [C-HAQ]), HRQoL (Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 50 [CHQ-P50], health concepts, physical summary score [CHQ-P50-PhS], psychosocial summary score [CHQ-P50-PsS]), pain, and well-being (100-mm visual analog scale [VAS]) were measured at weeks 0 and 12 for systemic JIA, weeks 16 and 40 for polyarticular JIA, and week 104 for both JIA subgroups. RESULTS: The trial included 112 patients with systemic JIA and 188 patients with polyarticular JIA. In patients with polyarticular JIA, the mean ± SD C-HAQ score decreased from 1.39 ± 0.74 at baseline to 0.67 ± 0.65 at week 16 (P < 0.001). In patients with systemic JIA, the mean ± SD CHQ-P50-PhS improved more with tocilizumab therapy than with placebo at week 12 (7.3 ± 10.2 versus 2.4 ± 10.6) (P < 0.05). Almost all mean CHQ-P50 health concept scores, CHQ-P50-PsS, and CHQ-P50-PhS improved (P ≤ 0.002) by week 104 for patients with systemic JIA. Patients with polyarticular JIA and patients with systemic JIA showed significant reductions in disability (mean ± SD C-HAQ scores of -1.09 ± 0.71 and -1.17 ± 0.80, respectively), improvements in well-being (mean ± SD well-being VAS scores of -43.76 ± 26.61 and -51.53 ± 23.57, respectively), and decreases in pain (mean ± SD pain VAS scores of -41.56 ± 31.06 and -51.26 ± 26.79, respectively) (P < 0.001); in patients with polyarticular JIA and patients with systemic JIA who were treated with tocilizumab, 92.9% of polyarticular JIA patients and 96.8% of systemic JIA patients reported no more than minimal pain (a score of ≤35 mm on the VAS) at week 104. CONCLUSION: Tocilizumab treatment was associated with significantly reduced disability and pain and improved HRQoL in patients with systemic JIA and polyarticular JIA.

Efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in patients with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis: results from a phase 3, randomised, double-blind withdrawal trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor tocilizumab for the treatment of patients with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pcJIA). METHODS: This three-part, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind withdrawal study (NCT00988221) included patients who had active pcJIA for ≥6 months and inadequate responses to methotrexate. During part 1, patients received open-label tocilizumab every 4 weeks (8 or 10 mg/kg for body weight (BW) <30 kg; 8 mg/kg for BW ≥30 kg). At week 16, patients with ≥JIA-American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 30 improvement entered the 24-week, double-blind part 2 after randomisation 1:1 to placebo or tocilizumab (stratified by methotrexate and steroid background therapy) for evaluation of the primary end point: JIA flare, compared with week 16. Patients flaring or completing part 2 received open-label tocilizumab. RESULTS: In part 1, 188 patients received tocilizumab (<30 kg: 10 mg/kg (n=35) or 8 mg/kg (n=34); ≥30 kg: n=119). In part 2, 163 patients received tocilizumab (n=82) or placebo (n=81). JIA flare occurred in 48.1% of patients on placebo versus 25.6% continuing tocilizumab (difference in means adjusted for stratification: -0.21; 95% CI -0.35 to -0.08; p=0.0024). At the end of part 2, 64.6% and 45.1% of patients receiving tocilizumab had JIA-ACR70 and JIA-ACR90 responses, respectively. Rates/100 patient-years (PY) of adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs) were 480 and 12.5, respectively; infections were the most common SAE (4.9/100 PY). CONCLUSIONS: Tocilizumab treatment results in significant improvement, maintained over time, of pcJIA signs and symptoms and has a safety profile consistent with that for adults with rheumatoid arthritis. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00988221.