Status:

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Spondyloarthritis: Inducing Drug-free Remission by Early TNF-alpha Blockade

Lead Sponsor:

University Hospital, Ghent

Collaborating Sponsors:

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Conditions:

Peripheral Spondyloarthritis

Eligibility:

All Genders

18-65 years

Phase:

PHASE3

Brief Summary

The SPARTACUS study will explore the therapeutic efficacy of 2 different treatment strategies for patients suffering from peripheral Spondyloarthritis (pSpA), classified according to the "Assessment i...

Detailed Description

SPARTACUS will have several achievable goals: 1. To show superiority of early treatment of pSpA patients with bDMARDs as compared to standard of care. In current practice, TNFi, the predominant b...

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

  • SPARTACUS Phase A: "Remission-Induction Phase"
  • A subject will be eligible for study participation if all of the following criteria are met:
  • Subjects must be able and willing to provide written informed consent and comply with the requirements of this study protocol.
  • Subjects must be between 18 and 65 years of age.
  • Subjects must have been diagnosed with peripheral spondyloarthritis by the treating rheumatologist.
  • Subjects must meet the ASAS classification criteria for peripheral spondyloarthritis: subjects must have current arthritis (asymmetric or predominantly in the lower limbs) or current enthesitis (except for enthesitis only along the spine, sacroiliac joints and/or chest wall) or current dactylitis plus at least 1 of the following SpA features:
  • Anterior uveitis confirmed by an ophthalmologist (past or present)
  • Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis diagnosed by a gastroenterologist (past or present).
  • Evidence of preceding infection (acute diarrhea or non-gonococcal urethritis or cervicitis 1 month before arthritis).
  • Psoriasis diagnosed by a dermatologist (past or present).
  • HLA B27 positivity
  • Sacroiliitis by imaging defined as bilateral grade 2-4 or unilateral grade 3-4 sacroiliitis on plain radiographs, according to the modified New York criteria or active sacroiliitis on MRI according to the ASAS consensus definition (ref of addendum).
  • Subjects must have had onset of peripheral SpA symptoms ≤12 months prior to the screening visit.
  • Subjects must have active disease at screening defined by Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) ≥ 4 and Patient Global Assessment of Pain NRS ≥ 4. At the baseline visit patients will be clinically evaluated to exclude spontaneous clinical remission.
  • In subjects with concurrent axial SpA symptoms, the peripheral SpA symptoms must be the predominant symptoms at study entry based on the Investigator's clinical judgment.
  • Subjects must have a negative PPD test (or equivalent) and chest radiography (anteroposterior and lateral view) at screening. If the subject has a positive PPD test (or equivalent), has had a past ulcerative reaction following PPD placement and/or a chest radiography consistent with prior TB exposure, the subject must initiate, or have documented completion of a course of anti-TB therapy.
  • Women of childbearing potential or men capable of fathering children must be using adequate birth control measures during the study and for 3 months after receiving the last administration of study agent.
  • Subject is judged to be in good health as determined by the principal investigator based upon the results of medical history, physical examination, laboratory profile, and chest x-ray (CXR) performed during screening.
  • Subjects must be able and willing to self-administer SC injections or have a qualified person available to administer SC injections.
  • SPARTACUS Phase B: "Drug-Free Remission Phase"
  • A subject will be eligible for phase B of the study if all of the following criteria are met:
  • Subjects must have participated in SPARTACUS Phase A.
  • Subjects must have reached a status of sustained clinical remission (defined as absence of clinical arthritis, enthesitis and dactylitis at 2 consecutive 'major' visits with an interval of 12 weeks).

Exclusion

  • Medical history of inflammatory arthritis of a different etiology than peripheral spondyloarthritis (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, …).
  • Prior adequate treatment with methotrexate and/or sulphasalazine.
  • Prior exposure to any biologic therapy with a potential therapeutic impact on SpA.
  • Treatment with any investigational drug of chemical or biological nature within a minimum of 30 days or 5 half-lives of the drug (whichever is longer) prior to the Baseline Visit.
  • Subject is taking or has taken prohibited medications as outlined in Table 1 without meeting the mandatory washout period(s) relative to the baseline visit.
  • Infection(s) requiring treatment with intravenous (iv) anti-infective agents within 30 days prior to the Baseline visit or oral anti-infectives within 14 days prior to the baseline Visit.
  • Have a known hypersensitivity to human immunoglobulin proteins or other components of golimumab.
  • History of central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease or neurologic symptoms suggestive of CNS demyelinating disease.
  • History of listeriosis, histoplasmosis, chronic or active Hepatitis B infection, Hepatitis C infection, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, immunodeficiency syndrome, chronic recurring infections or active TB.
  • (History of) chronic heart failure, including medically controlled, asymptomatic CHF.
  • History of malignancy (including lymphoma and leukemia) other than a successfully treated non-metastatic cutaneous squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma or localized carcinoma in situ of the cervix.
  • Have received any live virus or bacterial vaccination within 3 months prior to the first administration of study agent; patients who are expected to receive such vaccinations during the trial, or within 3 months after the last administration of study agent.
  • Positive serum pregnancy test at screening.
  • Female subjects who are breast-feeding.
  • Clinically significant abnormal screening laboratory results as evaluated by the Investigator.
  • Positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody at screening if the titers are crossing 3 times the upper limit of normal.
  • Subject is considered by the investigator, for any reason, to be an unsuitable candidate for the study.
  • Subject with current symptoms of fibromyalgia that would confound evaluation of the patient.

Key Trial Info

Start Date :

August 24 2020

Trial Type :

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation :

ACTUAL

End Date :

December 31 2028

Estimated Enrollment :

90 Patients enrolled

Trial Details

Trial ID

NCT04435288

Start Date

August 24 2020

End Date

December 31 2028

Last Update

September 26 2025

Active Locations (6)

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Page 1 of 2 (6 locations)

1

ASZ Aalst

Aalst, Belgium, 9300

2

AZ Sint-Jan

Bruges, Belgium, 8000

3

AZ Maria Middelares

Ghent, Belgium, 9000

4

UZ Ghent

Ghent, Belgium, 9000