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. 2020 Apr;79(4):453-459.
doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216819. Epub 2020 Feb 24.

Is treat-to-target really working in rheumatoid arthritis? a longitudinal analysis of a cohort of patients treated in daily practice (RA BIODAM)

Sofia Ramiro  1   2 , Robert Bm Landewé  2   3 , Désirée van der Heijde  4 , Alexandre Sepriano  4   5 , Oliver FitzGerald  6 , Mikkel Ostergaard  7 , Joanne Homik  8 , Ori Elkayam  9 , J Carter Thorne  10 , Margaret Larche  11 , Gianfranco Ferraccioli  12 , Marina Backhaus  13 , Gilles Boire  14 , Bernard Combe  15 , Thierry Schaeverbeke  16 , Alain Saraux  17 , Maxime Dougados  18 , Maurizio Rossini  19 , Marcello Govoni  20 , Luigi Sinigaglia  21 , Alain G Cantagrel  22 , Cornelia F Allaart  4 , Cheryl Barnabe  23 , Clifton O Bingham  24 , Paul P Tak  3   25   26 , Dirkjan van Schaardenburg  3 , Hilde Berner Hammer  27 , Rana Dadashova  28 , Edna Hutchings  28 , Joel Paschke  29 , Walter P Maksymowych  29
Affiliations

Is treat-to-target really working in rheumatoid arthritis? a longitudinal analysis of a cohort of patients treated in daily practice (RA BIODAM)

Sofia Ramiro et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Apr.

Erratum in

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate whether following a treat-to-target (T2T)-strategy in daily clinical practice leads to more patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) meeting the remission target.

Methods: RA patients from 10 countries starting/changing conventional synthetic or biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were assessed for disease activity every 3 months for 2 years (RA BIODAM (BIOmarkers of joint DAMage) cohort). Per visit was decided whether a patient was treated according to a T2T-strategy with 44-joint disease activity score (DAS44) remission (DAS44 <1.6) as the target. Sustained T2T was defined as T2T followed in ≥2 consecutive visits. The main outcome was the achievement of DAS44 remission at the subsequent 3-month visit. Other outcomes were remission according to 28-joint disease activity score-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) Boolean definitions. The association between T2T and remission was tested in generalised estimating equations models.

Results: In total 4356 visits of 571 patients (mean (SD) age: 56 (13) years, 78% female) were included. Appropriate application of T2T was found in 59% of the visits. T2T (vs no T2T) did not yield a higher likelihood of DAS44 remission 3 months later (OR (95% CI): 1.03 (0.92 to 1.16)), but sustained T2T resulted in an increased likelihood of achieving DAS44 remission (OR: 1.19 (1.03 to 1.39)). Similar results were seen with DAS28-ESR remission. For more stringent definitions (CDAI, SDAI and ACR/EULAR Boolean remission), T2T was consistently positively associated with remission (OR range: 1.16 to 1.29), and sustained T2T had a more pronounced effect on remission (OR range: 1.49 to 1.52).

Conclusion: In daily clinical practice, the correct application of a T2T-strategy (especially sustained T2T) in patients with RA leads to higher rates of remission.

Keywords: remission; rheumatoid arthritis; treat-to-target.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: SR: Received research grants and/or consultancy fees from AbbVie, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novartis and Sanofi. RL: Received consulting fees from AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Eli-Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, UCB and is Director of Rheumatology Consultancy BV. DvdH: Received consulting fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Daiichi, Eli-Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB Pharma and is Director of Imaging Rheumatology BV. AS: Received speaking fees from Novartis. OFG: Received research grants and/or consultancy fees from AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Celgene, Novartis, UCB, Pfizer, Amgen and Janssen. MØ: Received research support, consultancy fees and/or speaker fees form Abbvie, BMS, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Celgene, Eli-Lilly, Hospira, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Novo, Orion, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sandoz, Sanofi and UCB. OE: Received grants and personal fees from Pfizer, Abbvie, Roche, Janssen, Novartis and Lilly. JCT: Received research grants and/or consulting fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Centocor, Lilly, Medexux/Medac, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Sandoz and Sanofi. ML: Received advisory board honoraria from AbbVie, Actelion, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Roche and an unrestricted educational grant from AbbVie. GF: Received research grants and/or consultancy fees from Novartis, Roche, BMS, Pfizer, AbbVie, Lilly, Janssen, MSD, Boehringer-Ingelheim and UCB. MB: Received research grants from AbbVie Co.KG, Roche, Novartis and Pfizer; received speaking fees from Actelion, AbbVie Co.KG, BMS, Celgene, Gilead, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Sanofi Genzyme, Roche, Pfizer and UCB. GB: Received consulting fees from Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis and Pfizer; received speaker fees from BMS, Merck and Pfizer. Industry support for investigator-initiated research initiatives from Abbvie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Jannsen, Merck, Pfizer, Roche and UCB. BC: Received consulting fees from AbbVie, BMS, Eli-Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche-Chugai, Sanofi and UCB. TS: Received consulting fees from Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi; received research financial support from Pfizer and Lilly. AS: Received research grants and/or consultancy fees from AbbVie, BMS, Chugai, Eli Lilly, MSD, Nordic pharma, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi and UCB. MD: Received research grants and/or honorarium fees for his participation at advisory boards and/or symposium organised by Pfizer, AbbVie, Lilly, Novartis, BMS, Roche, UCB and Merck. MR: Received advisory board honoraria, consultancy fees and/or speaker fees from Abiogen, Amgen, Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Eli-Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Sandoz and UCB. MG: Received advisory board honoraria, consultancy fees and/or speaker fees from Abbvie, Alfa-Sigma, BMS, Celgene, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Sanofi. LS: Received speaker fees from Amgen,Eli Lilly, Abbvie, Roche and BMS. AGC: Received consultancy fees from BMS, Chugai, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, UCB, AbbVie, Celgene and Nordic Pharma; received research grants from Pfizer, UCB, AbbVie and Celgene. CB: Received advisory board honoraria from Gilead, Pfizer, Novartis, Eli Lily, Roche and Amgen; speaking fees from UCB, BMS and Abbvie. COB III: Consultant to Abbvie, BMS, Gilead, Lilly, Pfizer, Genentech/Roche and Sanofi/Regeneron. Grant support from BMS and Janssen. PPT: Currently an employee of Kintai Therapeutics, Cambridge MA. Kintai Therapeutics has not been involved in this work. HBH: Received fees for speaking and/or consulting from AbbVie, BMS, Pfizer, UCB, Roche, MSD and Novartis. WPM: Received consulting fees from AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Eli-Lilly, Galapagos, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB Pharma and is Chief Medical Officer of CARE Arthritis Limited.

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