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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01382940

A Study on The Safety of Administering Rituximab at A More Rapid Rate in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

This study was designed to evaluate the safety of administering rituximab at a more rapid infusion rate in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to biopharmaceuticals that treat diseases by interfering with tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF therapies), and were receiving methotrexate therapy for more than eight weeks.

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Key information

Conditions

Rheumatoid Arthritis Arthritis Arthritis, Rheumatoid Autoimmune Diseases Connective Tissue Diseases Immune System Diseases Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 4

Primary location

Uni Of Alabama,Birmingham; Medicine - Rheumatology, Birmingham, Alabama, United States

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Key Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients, ≥ 18 years of age
  • Rheumatoid arthritis of ≥ 6 months duration, diagnosed according to the revised 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria
  • Inadequate response to at least one approved anti-TNF agent (adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab, golimumab, or certolizumab)
  • Patients who have received 1 to 2 prior courses of rituximab (RTX) may be enrolled, provided their most recent course of RTX occurred over 6 months but no more than 9 months prior to baseline. The RTX dosage must have been two 1000 mg infusions per course administered at the standard approved rate
  • Methotrexate treatment between 10 and 25 mg/week (oral or parenteral) for at least 8 weeks immediately prior to baseline

Key Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major surgery (including joint surgery) within 8 weeks prior to screening or planned surgery within 6 months following baseline
  • Rheumatic autoimmune disease other than rheumatoid arthritis
  • Functional class IV as defined by American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria
  • Prior history of or current inflammatory joint disease other than rheumatoid arthritis
  • History of severe allergic or anaphylactic reactions to human, humanized or murine monoclonal antibodies
  • Previous serious infusion reaction to any prior biologic therapy
  • Known active current or history of recurrent infection
  • Evidence of chronic hepatitis B or C infection
  • Pregnant or lactating women
  • Body weight of > 150 kg

Treatment and study plan

Rituximab

Drug

1000 mg in 250 mL intravenous infusion

Other names: Rituxan®, MabThera®

methotrexate

Drug

10 to 25 mg/week (oral or parenteral)

methylprednisolone

Drug

100 mg methylprednisolone administered by slow intravenous infusion at least 30 minutes prior to the start of each study drug infusion

Acetaminophen

Drug

1 gram acetaminophen administered orally 30 to 60 minutes prior to the start of each study drug infusion

Antihistamine

Drug

50 mg diphenhydramine hydrochloride or equivalent dose of alternate antihistamine administered orally 30 to 60 minutes prior to the start of each study drug infusion

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants Experiencing Any Infusion-related Reaction (IRR) Associated With the Second Rituximab Infusion

    Time frame: Within 24 hours of beginning infusion on Day 15

    The primary criterion for assessing safety of the faster infusion was the incidence of infusion related reaction (IRRs). IRRs were adverse events (AEs) that occurred within 24 hours of beginning infusion that were among a pre-specified list of preferred terms from the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA). "Incidence" is defined as the percentage of participants experiencing an IRR.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants Experiencing Any Serious IRR (SIRR) Associated With the Second Rituximab Infusion

    Time frame: Within 24 hours of beginning infusion on Day 15

    A serious infusion-related reaction (SIRR) is an IRR that meets the definition of a serious adverse event. A serious adverse event (SAE) is any experience that suggests a significant hazard, contraindication, side effect or precaution.

  2. Percentage of Participants Experiencing Any IRR or SIRR Associated With the Third Rituximab Infusion

    Time frame: Within 24 hours of beginning infusion on Day 168

    IRRs are AEs that occurred within 24 hours of beginning infusion that were included on a pre-specified list of MedDRA preferred terms, and an SIRR is an IRR that suggests a significant hazard, contraindication, side effect or precaution.

  3. Percentage of Participants Experiencing Any Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) Grade 3 or 4 Adverse Events (AEs) Associated With the Second Rituximab Infusion

    Time frame: Within 24 hours of beginning infusion on Day 15

    The intensity of AEs were graded on a 5-point scale (Grade 1 to 5) according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 (CTCAE v. 4.0), where Grade 1 indicates "Mild" severity and Grade 5 indicates "Death". The CTCAE defines Grades 3 and 4 as follows: - Grade 3 means "Severe", indicating considerable interference with the patient's daily activities; medical intervention/therapy required; and hospitalization possible. - Grade 4 means "Life-threatening, Disabling", based on extreme limitation in activity; significant medical intervention/therapy required, and hospitalization probable.

  4. Percentage of Participants Experiencing the Stopping, Slowing or Interrupting of the Second Rituximab Infusion

    Time frame: During the infusion (a 2-hour period) on Day 15

    Participants who experienced a moderate or serious IRR had their infusion interrupted immediately and received aggressive symptomatic treatment. The CTCAE includes the following severity descriptions: - "Moderate" means mild to moderate interference with the patient's daily activities, no or minimal medical intervention/therapy required; - "Severe" means considerable interference with the patient's daily activities, medical intervention/therapy required, hospitalization possible. If the IRR was moderate, the infusion was not to be restarted before all the symptoms disappeared, and then at half the rate. If the participant tolerated the reduced rate for 30 minutes, the infusion rate was increased to the next rate on the protocol-specified infusion schedule. If the symptoms did not resolve with treatment, the participant was withdrawn from the treatment period of the study. Participants who experienced a severe IRR to rituximab treatment were discontinued from the study.

  5. Percentage of Participants Experiencing Any Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) Grade 3 or 4 Adverse Events (AEs) Associated With the Third Rituximab Infusion

    Time frame: Within 24 hours of beginning infusion on Day 168

    The intensity of AEs experienced within 24 hours of beginning infusion were graded on NCI's CTCAE (v. 4.0) intensity scale from Grade 1 ("Mild") to Grade 5 ("Death"). Grade 3 AEs are "Severe" and Grade 4 AEs are "Life-threatening, Disabling".

  6. Percentage of Participants Experiencing the Stopping, Slowing or Interrupting of the Third Rituximab Infusion

    Time frame: During the infusion (a 2-hour period) on Day 168

    Participants who experienced a moderate or serious IRR had their infusion interrupted immediately and received aggressive symptomatic treatment. The CTCAE includes the following severity descriptions: - "Moderate" means mild to moderate interference with the patient's daily activities, no or minimal medical intervention/therapy required; - "Severe" means considerable interference with the patient's daily activities, medical intervention/therapy required, hospitalization possible. If the IRR was moderate, the infusion was not to be restarted before all the symptoms disappeared, and then at half the rate. If the participant tolerated the reduced rate for 30 minutes, the infusion rate was increased to the next rate on the protocol-specified infusion schedule. If the symptoms did not resolve with treatment, the participant was withdrawn from the treatment period of the study. Participants who experienced a severe IRR to rituximab treatment were discontinued from the study.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Hoffmann-La Roche

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Multicenter, Open-label, Single-arm Study to Evaluate the Safety Administering Rituximab at a More Rapid Infusion Rate in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Acronym: RATE-RA

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2013
First posted
Jun 27, 2011
Registry last updated
Aug 1, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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