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NCT Number: NCT05717179

Ultrasound to Guide Treatment Decisions in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis According to a T2T Approach

Population

Patients with a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), moderate or high clinical disease activity (CDAI>10) despite conventional synthetic (cs)DMARD(s) or bs-ts-DMARDs therapy for ≥3 months, and a maximum of 2 swollen joints (out of 44 joints)

Study design

Randomised multicentre, parallel-arm clinical study

Primary objective

Non-inferiority of the experimental arm (i.e. clinical therapy together with ultrasound guided treatment decision) in comparison to the control arm (clinically guided decision) concerning the proportion of patients reaching low disease activity (CDAI ≤10) and a minimal clinical important improvement (MCII: improvement of ≥6 points if starting from moderate disease activity, any case starting from high disease activity and achieving low disease activity) or remission according to ACR/EULAR index-based remission criteria (CDAI ≤2.8/Boolean remission) at week 24.

Intervention

This is a randomised multicentre, national, parallel-arm clinical study. Patients with a diagnosis of RA, moderate or high clinical disease activity (CDAI>10) despite conventional synthetic (cs)DMARD(s) or b-tsDMARDs therapy for ≥3 months, and a maximum of 2 swollen joints (out of 44 joints) will be included and randomized to one of the following two strategic arms:

1. Clinical decision strategy: All patients receive a new course of b-ts-DMARDs, with or without concomitant cDMARD. If a CDAI ≤10 is not achieved after 12 weeks, patients are switched to a bDMARD or tsDMARD. The decision on which b/tsDMARD to use at week 12 is at the discretion of the investigator. 2. Clinical plus ultrasound-based decision strategy. All patients in this group will be evaluated by ultrasound at 44 joints. In case of clinically-verified plus ultrasound verified inflammation, patients will receive a new b-ts-DMARD while continuing or not background csDMARD(s) therapy. If a CDAI ≤10 is not achieved after 12 weeks, patients are again evaluated by ultrasound at 44 joints. In case clinically-verified plus ultrasound-verified inflammation is present, patients are switched to a bDMARD or tsDMARD. The decision on which b/tsDMARD to use is at the discretion of the investigator. In case clinically-verified plus ultrasound-verified inflammation is absent, patients receive step-up pain therapy while background treatment will be continued.

Sample size

158 patients

Time plan

* Total duration of the study: 72 months * Active phase for each patient: 48 weeks (24 weeks for the interventional treatment strategy and 24 weeks for follow-up visit) * Recruitment: 60 months

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Key information

Conditions

Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis Autoimmune Diseases Connective Tissue Diseases Immune System Diseases Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases Treat to Target Ultrasound

Age range

18 year–84 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Azienda Sanitaria dell'Alto Adige

Bruneck, Bolzano, 39031, Italy

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Christian Dejaco, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+390474581862

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Classification of RA according to the ACR-EULAR 2010 criteria
  • Age of the patients: 18 to 84 years
  • Patients with moderate or high disease activity according to CDAI (>10)
  • Maximum of 2 clinically swollen joints out of a 44-joint count
  • Current stable treatment with a single csDMARD or bDMARD or tsDMARD for at least 3 months
  • No glucocorticoid therapy or stable glucocorticoid dose for at least 4 weeks and at a maximum dose of 5 mg/day prednisone equivalent.
  • No corticosteroid intraarticular injection within 4 weeks
  • Stable or absent dose of NSAIDs for at least 1 week
  • Patients able and willing to give written informed consent and compliant with the requirements of the study protocol

Exclusion criteria

  • Complete (clinically evident) destruction of any joint to be investigated by ultrasound as judged by the physician
  • Current RA-related vasculitis or other active systemic (i.e. extraarticular) RA-manifestation except for rheumatoid nodules, which in the opinion of the investigator would expose the study subject to a high risk of morbidity or mortality
  • Initial arthritis manifestations before the age of 18 years
  • Planned surgery within the study period for any of the joints investigated either clinically or by sonography
  • Current severe medical illness requiring hospitalization
  • Active infection or active malignancy at screening <5 years
  • Any contraindication to b/ts DMARDs according to the "Summary of Product Characteristics"
  • Pregnancy or lactation

Treatment and study plan

Ultrasound

Diagnostic Test

At baseline and at weeks 12, 24 and 48, patients will undergo an ultrasound examination of 44 joints by one investigator, who is blinded to the strategic arm and all clinical data. The following joints will be assessed: bilateral wrists (distal radio-ulnar joint, radio-carpal, mid-carpal recesses), 1st - 5th MCP, 1st - 5th PIP, elbows, glenohumeral, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, knees, ankles and 1st - 5th MTP. At wrists, MCP and PIP joints, palmar and dorsal sites including synovial recess, extensor and flexor tendons will be investigated whereas at feet the dorsal site (plus the lateral aspects of MTP5) including synovial recess and extensor tendons will be evaluated. Further, we will assess the following: at elbows the dorsal and anterior recess, at shoulders the dorsal recess, at knees the suprapatellar as well as the medial and lateral femoro-tibial recess and at ankles the anterior, lateral and medial recess of the tibiotalar joint.

Primary outcomes

  1. Non-inferiority of ultrasound-based decision strategy compared to clinically-based strategy.

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    Non-inferiority of the experimental arm (i.e. clinical plus ultrasound-guided treatment decision) in comparison to the control arm (clinically-guided decision) concerning the proportion of patients reaching low disease activity (CDAI ≤10) and a minimal clinical important improvement (MCII: improvement of ≥6 points if starting from moderate disease activity, any case achieving low disease activity who started from high disease activity) [19] or remission according to ACR/EULAR index-based remission criteria (CDAI ≤2.8/Boolean remission) at week 24.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Comparison of the proportion of patients in low disease activity and MCII or remission according to ACR/EULAR index-based remission criteria at week 12 and 48

    Time frame: 12 and 48 weeks

  2. Comparison of the proportion of patients in remission according to ACR/EULAR index-based remission criteria (CDAI ≤2.8/Boolean remission, respectively) at week 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

  3. Comparison of the proportion of patients in remission according to DAS-28 (DAS-28 ≤2.6) or SDAI (≤3.3) at week 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

  4. Comparison of value of tender joints count at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

  5. Comparison of value of swollen joints counts at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

  6. Comparison of value of VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) pain at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

    Range: 0, better outcome - 100, worse outcome

  7. Comparison of value of VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

    Range: 0, better outcome - 100, worse outcome

  8. Comparison of value of VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) Physician Global Assessment of Disease Activity at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

    Range: 0, better outcome - 100, worse outcome

  9. Comparison of value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

  10. Comparison of value of C reactive protein (CRP) at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

  11. Comparison of Health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) score at week 24 and 48

    Time frame: 24 and 48 weeks

    Range: 0, better outcome - 3, worse outcome

  12. Comparison of Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) score at week 24 and 48

    Time frame: 24 and 48 weeks

    Range: 0, better outcome - 10, worse outcome

  13. Comparison of Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) score at week 24 and 48

    Time frame: 24 and 48 weeks

    Range: 10, better outcome - 50, worse outcome

  14. Comparison of EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ5D) score at week 24 and 48

    Time frame: 24 and 48 weeks

  15. Comparison of the trend of VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) pain across all study visits

    Time frame: 48 weeks

    Absolute and relative change of parameter with respect to the baseline and between different visits

  16. Comparison of the trend of VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity across all study visits

    Time frame: 48 weeks

    Absolute and relative change of parameter with respect to the baseline and between different visits

  17. Comparison of the trend of Health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) score across all study visits

    Time frame: 48 weeks

    Absolute and relative change of score with respect to the baseline and between different visits

  18. Comparison of the trend of Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) score across all study visits

    Time frame: 48 weeks

    Absolute and relative change of score with respect to the baseline and between different visits

  19. Comparison of the trend of Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) score across all study visits

    Time frame: 48 weeks

    Absolute and relative change of score with respect to the baseline and between different visits

  20. Comparison of the trend of EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ5D) score across all study visits

    Time frame: 48 weeks

    Absolute and relative change of score with respect to the baseline and between different visits

  21. Comparison of the differences in the Sharp van der Heijde Score from baseline to week 48

    Time frame: 48 weeks

    Range: 0, better outcome - 448, worse outcome

  22. Comparison of patients achieving a PD score of ≤1 (44-joint count) at weeks 12, 24 and 48

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

  23. Comparison of direct medical costs of treatment arms from baseline to week 24 and 48

    Time frame: 24 and 48 weeks

    Measurement: Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)

  24. Analysis regarding predictors of low disease activity or remission at 12, 24 and 48 weeks in patients treated with ≥1bDMARD as compared to those who receive pain therapy

    Time frame: 12, 24 and 48 weeks

    Investigated predictors: baseline erythrocyte sedimentation rate, baseline C reactive protein, baseline ultrasound score (EULAR-OMERACT combined score)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Christian Dejaco, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+390474581862

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Italian Society for Rheumatology

Other

Registry information

Acronym: US-RA-T2T

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2029
First posted
Feb 8, 2023
Registry last updated
May 14, 2025

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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