A Phase III Study of Abatacept in Japanese Subjects With Rheumatoid Arthritis

AE is defined as any new untoward medical occurrence or worsening of a pre-existing medical condition. SAE is any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose results in death, is life-threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or causes prolongation of existing hospitalization, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, is a cancer, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, results in the development of drug dependency or drug abuse, is an important medical event. Both subjective and objective AEs and SAEs are included.

The laboratory tests were analyses included enzyme, gastrointestinal, hematology, hepatobiliary, lipid, metabolic, nutritional, blood gas, microbiology, serology, protein, chemistry, renal, urinary tract, urinalyses, water, electrolyte and mineral investigations.

ACR 20 response requires a participant to have a 20% reduction in the number of swollen and tender joints, and a reduction of 20% in three of the following five parameters: physician global assessment of disease activity, participant global assessment of disease activity, participant global assessment of pain, C-reactive protein, and degree of disability in Health Assessment Questionnaire score.

ACR 50 response requires a participant to have a 50% reduction in the number of swollen and tender joints, and a reduction of 50% in three of the following five parameters: physician global assessment of disease activity, participant global assessment of disease activity, participant global assessment of pain, C-reactive protein, and degree of disability in Health Assessment Questionnaire score.

ACR 70 response requires a participant to have a 70% reduction in the number of swollen and tender joints, and a reduction of 70% in three of the following five parameters: physician global assessment of disease activity, participant global assessment of disease activity, participant global assessment of pain, C-reactive protein, and degree of disability in Health Assessment Questionnaire score.

The DAS 28 is a continuous disease measure which is a composite of 4 variables: the 28 tender joint count, the 28 swollen joint count, CRP levels, and participant assessment of disease activity measure on a visual analogue scale of 100 mm. The DAS28 has numeric thresholds that define high disease activity (change of > 5.1), low disease activity (change of ≤ 3.2) and remission (< 2.6). Please see outcome 8 for change from BL data.

The DAS 28 is a continuous disease measure which is a composite of 4 variables: the 28 tender joint count, the 28 swollen joint count, CRP levels, and participant assessment of disease activity measure on a visual analogue scale of 100 mm. The DAS28 has numeric thresholds that define high disease activity (> 5.1), low disease activity (≤ 3.2) and remission (< 2.6). Please refer to outcome 7 for BL and PBL values.

The DAS 28 is a continuous disease measure which is a composite of 4 variables: the 28 tender joint count, the 28 swollen joint count, CRP levels, and participant assessment of disease activity measure on a visual analogue scale.

Participants with DAS 28 score change ≥ 1.2 from BL were considered to have improvement.

The DAS28 is a continuous disease measure which is a composite of 4 variables: the 28 tender joint count, the 28 swollen joint count, CRP levels, and participant assessment of disease activity measure on a visual analogue scale. Participants with DAS 28 score ≤ 3.2 were considered to have low disease activity.

The DAS 28 is a continuous disease measure which is a composite of 4 variables: the 28 tender joint count, the 28 swollen joint count, CRP levels, and participant assessment of disease activity measure on a visual analogue scale.

Participants with DAS 28 score < 2.6 were considered to be in remission.

The disability section of the full HAQ includes 20 questions to assess physical functions in 8 domains: dressing, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reach, grip and common activities. The questions are evaluated on a 4-point scale: 0=without any difficulty, 1= with some difficulty, 2= with much difficulty, and 3= unable to do. Higher scores= greater dysfunction. A disability index was calculated by summing the worst scores in each domain and dividing by the number of domains answered. Clinically meaningful HAQ response=an improvement of at least 0.3 units from BL in HAQ.

The SF-36 covers 8 health dimensions including 4 physical subscales (physical function, role functioning [physical], bodily pain, and general health) and 4 mental subscales (vitality, social function, role emotional, and mental health). All subscales were scored using norm-based methods that standardized the scores to a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 in the general population. The scores range from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating better quality of life. Improvements of > 3 points were considered clinically meaningful.Please see outcome 14 for change from BL data.

The SF-36 covers 8 health dimensions including 4 physical (physical function, role functioning [physical], bodily pain, and general health) and 4 mental subscales (vitality, social function, role emotional, and mental health). All subscales were scored using norm-based methods that standardized the scores to a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 in the general population. The scores range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 100, higher score indicating better quality of life. Improvements of >3 points were considered clinically meaningful. Please see outcome 13 for BL and PBL values.

The SF-36 covers 8 health dimensions including 4 physical subscales (physical function, role functioning [physical], bodily pain, and general health) and 4 mental subscales (vitality, social function, role emotional, and mental health). All subscales were scored using norm-based methods that standardized the scores to a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 in the general population. The scores range from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating better quality of life. Improvements of > 3 points were considered clinically meaningful. Please see outcome 14 for change from BL data.

The SF-36 covers 8 health dimensions including 4 physical (physical function, role functioning [physical], bodily pain, and general health) and 4 mental subscales (vitality, social function, role emotional, and mental health). All subscales were scored using norm-based methods that standardized the scores to a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 in the general population. The scores range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 100, higher score indicating better quality of life. Improvements of > 3 points were considered clinically meaningful.Please see outcome 15 for BL and PBL values.

CRP is an acute phase reactant protein that is a clinical marker for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and is a core component of the ACR scoring system. CRP was evaluated from serum samples. Increasing levels indicate increasing level of disease. Please see outcome 18 for change from BL data.

CRP is an acute phase reactant protein that is a clinical marker for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and is a core component of the ACR scoring system. CRP was evaluated from serum samples. Increasing levels indicate increasing level of disease, negative values indicate improvement. Percentage improvement from BL = (BL - PBL value) / BL value * 100. Please refer to outcome 17 for BL and PBL values.

Rheumatoid factor (RF or RhF) is an autoantibody (antibody directed against an organism's own tissues) most relevant in rheumatoid arthritis. It is an antibody against the Fc portion of Immunoglobulin (Ig)G, which is itself an antibody. RF and IgG join to form immune complexes which contribute to the disease process. RF levels are considered positive if value is >20 and considered negative if value is <20. Please see outcome 20 for change from BL data.

RF is an autoantibody (antibody directed against an organism's own tissues) most relevant in rheumatoid arthritis. It is an antibody against the Fc portion of Immunoglobulin (Ig)G, which is itself an antibody. RF and IgG join to form immune complexes which contribute to the disease process. RF levels are considered positive if value is >20 and considered negative if value is <20. Please refer to outcome 19 for BL and PBL values.

Validated enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) method was used to measure anti-abatacept and anti-CTLA4-T antibody levels. For anti-abatacept antibody ELISA, a sample was considered seropositive if it had a titer of 400 or greater and if immunodepletion was observed. The responses that were negative in initial screen were reported as seronegative with a value of < 400. A sample was considered positive in CTLA4-T antibody ELISA if it had a titer of 25 or greater and if immunodepletion was observed.

Total body clearance is the rate and extent at which the drug is eliminated from the body. The clearance of a drug is used to understand the processes involved in drug elimination, distribution and metabolism.

Area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUCss) at steady state for each dosing interval was determined using the linear trapezoidal rule.

Maximum plasma concentration is the maximum observed serum drug concentration at steady state (Css max).

Minimum Plasma Concentration (Cmin) is the minimum observed serum drug concentration at steady state.