Skip to content

Rilonacept (Arcalyst ®) in the Treatment of Subacromial Bursitis

Rilonacept (Arcalyst ®) in the Treatment of Subacromial Bursitis

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01830699
Enrollment
33
Registered
2013-04-12
Start date
2013-03-31
Completion date
2014-03-31
Last updated
2014-08-04

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

Conditions

Subacromial Bursitis

Keywords

Rilonacept, Subacromial Bursitis treatment, Corticosteroid Injection

Brief summary

To date no trials have been performed looking at whether or not intra-bursal injection of an IL-1 antagonist provides pain relief similar to that of a corticosteroid injection. The subcutaneous injection of anakinra, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, in patients with shoulder pain due to rotator cuff tendonitis and subacromial bursitis was efficacious in relieving pain but this information was presented as a case series in a letter to the editor format, so the validity of these results would require additional testing \[Omoigui S, et al. 2004\]. Based mainly on the data from the intra-articular administration of anakinra, there have not been any adverse trends in outcomes or safety to suggest that intra-bursal injection of rilonacept will carry an increase risk of adverse events. The purpose of this trial is to compare the improvement in pain and function of patients with clinical symptoms and signs of subacromial bursitis of rilonacept vs. corticosteroid injection (standard of care).

Detailed description

Background: Subacromial bursitis is an inflammatory condition which is typically triggered by altered rotator cuff mechanics. One of the mainstays of therapy is corticosteroid injection. Given the inflammatory nature of subacromial bursitis coupled with prominence of interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta on histopathologic assessment of resected subacromial bursa, targeted anti-IL-1 therapy would be an attractive alternative to corticosteroid injection. Hypothesis: One intra-bursal injection of the IL-1 trap rilonacept (Arcalyst ®), currently FDA approved for the treatment of cryopyrin associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), is non-inferior to intra-bursal corticosteroid injection at 4 weeks post-procedure. Methods: This study is a prospective trial lasting a total of 4 weeks. Patients with typical symptoms and signs of subacromial bursitis are randomized to either corticosteroid injection prepared in the usual fashion in clinic vs. injection of rilonacept. Prior to injection of either medication patients will complete a QuickDASH Questionnaire and provide a verbal pain score from 0 to 10. The Quick DASH Questionnaire and verbal pain score are then completed within 2 duty days of injection, 2 weeks after injection, and 4 weeks after injection by phone. Primary Outcome: Primary outcome is improvement in QuickDASH. Secondary outcomes are improvement in the verbal pain score and monitoring for infection or other complications from rilonacept administration.

Interventions

DRUGRilonacept

160 mg intra-bursal once

DRUGCorticosteroid

2 cc (40 mg/mL) triamcinolone intra-bursal once

Sponsors

Keesler Air Force Base Medical Center
Lead SponsorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* At least 18 years of age or older and at a minimum have a recent history (more than 3 days worth) of shoulder pain with moderate to severe tenderness to palpation over the subacromial bursa.

Exclusion criteria

* Allergies to lidocaine, marcaine, or kenalog. * Allergies to rilonacept * Flare of active inflammatory arthritis (such as a flare of Rheumatoid Arthritis) * Gout or Pseudogout attack of the shoulder with subacromial tenderness * Active infection * Actively receiving chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or anticipating surgery for neoplasia * Active myocardial infarction * Clinical and/or radiographic evidence of a fracture (clavicular, humeral, or other).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Improvement in Shoulder Function4 weeksThe QuickDASH will be used as the primary outcome to assess improvement in pain and function of patients with clinical symptoms and signs of subacromial bursitis randomized to either rilonacept vs. corticosteroid injection. The QuickDASH is an 11 question form, a short version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire (DASH). It ranges from 0 (no symptoms/full function) to 100 (maximal symptoms/no function). No units are specified. Cutoff scores: \< 15 = no problem, 16 - 40 = problem, but working, \> 40 = unable to work. US population mean +/- SD is 10.1 +/- 14.7.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Improvement in Pain4 weeksSecondary outcomes are improvement in pain (as assessed by patient self report, range between 0 and 10, with 0 as no pain and 10 described as the worst pain in their life).
Number of Participants With Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability4 weeksAny adverse event reported by the study participant during the four time points studied in the trial in either arm will be recorded.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

Subject recruitment was from March 2013 to December 2013. Subjects were recruited from the Internal Medicine (IM) or IM Subspecialties Clinic at a single academic community-size hospital.

Pre-assignment details

Please refer to inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Triamcinolone (Kenalog)
A mixture of lidocaine without epinephrine, bupivicaine, and 80 mg of triamcinolone acetonide will be injected in the subacromial bursa. Corticosteroid (Triamcinolone (Kenalog) )
13
Rilonacept
160 mg of rilonacept will be injected in the subacromial bursa of participants in this arm. Rilonacept: 160 mg intra-bursal once
20
Total33

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicTriamcinolone (Kenalog)RilonaceptTotal
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
7 Participants8 Participants15 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
6 Participants12 Participants18 Participants
Age, Continuous65.6 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.7
64.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.1
65.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.5
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
11 Participants19 Participants30 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
13 participants20 participants33 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
8 Participants12 Participants20 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
5 Participants8 Participants13 Participants
Site of subacromial injection
Left Bursa injected
7 participants6 participants13 participants
Site of subacromial injection
Right Bursa injected
6 participants14 participants20 participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
2 / 137 / 20
serious
Total, serious adverse events
1 / 121 / 20

Outcome results

Primary

Improvement in Shoulder Function

The QuickDASH will be used as the primary outcome to assess improvement in pain and function of patients with clinical symptoms and signs of subacromial bursitis randomized to either rilonacept vs. corticosteroid injection. The QuickDASH is an 11 question form, a short version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire (DASH). It ranges from 0 (no symptoms/full function) to 100 (maximal symptoms/no function). No units are specified. Cutoff scores: \< 15 = no problem, 16 - 40 = problem, but working, \> 40 = unable to work. US population mean +/- SD is 10.1 +/- 14.7.

Time frame: 4 weeks

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Triamcinolone (Kenalog)Improvement in Shoulder Function15.92 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 15.4
RilonaceptImprovement in Shoulder Function38.52 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 25.07
Comparison: Setting α=0.05 and β=0.8, with effect size of 0.17 anticipated total n = 138 to be recruited (requested recruitment of 150 to account for possible drop-outs)~1st data analysis (n = 33), effect size calculated at 1.1 with new n = 29 with α=0.05 and β=1.0.p-value: 0.004t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Improvement in Pain

Secondary outcomes are improvement in pain (as assessed by patient self report, range between 0 and 10, with 0 as no pain and 10 described as the worst pain in their life).

Time frame: 4 weeks

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Triamcinolone (Kenalog)Improvement in Pain2.27 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 1.42
RilonaceptImprovement in Pain3.85 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.74
Comparison: Setting α=0.05 and β=0.8, with effect size of 0.17 anticipated total n = 138 to be recruited (requested recruitment of 150 to account for possible drop-outs)~1st data analysis (n = 33), effect size calculated at 1.1 with new n = 29 with α=0.05 and β=1.0.p-value: 0.044t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Number of Participants With Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability

Any adverse event reported by the study participant during the four time points studied in the trial in either arm will be recorded.

Time frame: 4 weeks

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Triamcinolone (Kenalog)Number of Participants With Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability3 participants
RilonaceptNumber of Participants With Adverse Events as a Measure of Safety and Tolerability8 participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 17, 2026