Study of the Response and Cardiorespiratory Endurance in Early RA Patients Treated With Tocilizumab or Methotrexate

Comparative Study of the Clinical Response and Cardiorespiratory Endurance in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated With Tocilizumab or Methotrexate Addendum Protocol : Global Gene Expression Profiles in Synovial Biopsies

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01245452

Acronym

TOMERA

Enrollment

Registered

2010-11-22

Start date

2010-05-31

Completion date

2013-06-30

Last updated

2013-10-31

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Keywords

Rheumatoid arthritis, Tocilizumab, Cardiorespiratory endurance

Brief summary

To measure the CRE by a work capacity index obtained in a submaximal testing (W65%/kg) in early RA patients treated with tocilizumab compared to Methotrexate alone. The secondary endpoints : analyze the clinical efficacy of Tocilizumab in this population and correlate the CRE response with other marker (CRP, Hb, DAS, HAQ) and evaluate the safety profile of Tocilizumab.

Detailed description

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most prevalent (about 1%) inflammatory rheumatic disorder. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has emerged as a potential therapeutic target in RA. This is based on the greater understanding of the role this cytokine can play in various aspects of the pathogenesis of RA. It has been shown that IL-6 is responsible for various clinical symptoms, including,fatigue, anemia, anorexia, fever, as well as the production of autoantibodies and increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, all of which develop in patients with RA. Tocilizumab, as monotherapy and in combination with methotrexate, has been shown to be effective for RA patients with insufficient response to methotrexate or other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. These observations about the effects of tocilizumab were extended to patients refractory to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors. Tocilizumab also slows down the progression of structural joint damage. Furthermore, a 5-year long-term safety and efficacy has been shown. The place of Tocilizumab therapy in early RA is still unknown. Cardiorespiratory endurance (CRE), the most fundamental component of physical fitness can be severely impaired in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been shown that intensive and early treatment of RA can induce sustained clinical remission, improve general health and physical fitness and might therefore have an impact on the quality of life of RA patient. This study was planned to measure the CRE by a work capacity index obtained in a submaximal testing (W65%/kg) in early RA patients treated with tocilizumab compared to Methotrexate alone.

Interventions

DRUGTocilizumab

Tocilizumab (8 mg/kg monthly from week 0 to 20)

DRUGMethotrexate

MTX at a dose ranging from 10 mg/week at baseline to 20 mg/week at week 8

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 70 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of RA (according to American College of Rheumatology ACR criteria) * Disease duration \< 2 years. * Age between 18 and 70 years old. * Active RA defined by a disease activity score 28 DAS28-CRP score \> 3.2 with a swollen joint count ≥ 4 * MTX naive * Stable therapy with corticosteroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSAIDs * Presence of knee arthralgia or synovitis (addendum protocol with synovial biopsy).

Exclusion criteria

Previous MTX treatment. Exclusion for severe physical handicap to perform CRE. Exclusion for general safety (history of severe allergic reaction, sepsis, malignancy within 5 years, pregnancy, severe heart failure) Concurrent treatment with other DMARDs than MTX or any anti-TNF and biological therapies.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
To measure the CRE by a work capacity index obtained in a submaximal testing (W65%/kg) in early RA patients treated with tocilizumab compared to Methotrexate alone.	2 years	not necessary

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
To analyze the clinical efficacy of Tocilizumab in this population.	2 years	no necessary
To correlate the CRE response with other marker (CRP, Hb, Disease activity score DAS, HAQ).	2 years	no necessary
To evaluate the safety profile of Tocilizumab.	2 years	no necessary
To assess the effect of Tocilizumab on synovial histopathology of early RA	2 years	not necessary

Countries

Belgium

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026