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Methotrexate Treatment in Hand Osteoarthritis Refractory to Usual Treatments

Methotrexate Treatment in Hand Osteoarthritis Refractory to Usual Treatments: A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Phase 2Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07501507
Acronym
ADEM2
Enrollment
170
Registered
2026-03-30
Start date
2026-05-02
Completion date
2027-10-01
Last updated
2026-03-30

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

Conditions

Erosive Hand Osteoarthritis

Brief summary

Randomized study comparing the structural efficacy of methotrexate versus placebo in digital osteoarthritis

Interventions

Injection of methotrexate every week during 12 month

DRUGPlacebo

The placebo consists of a 0.9% solution of sodium chloride (NaCl) in sterile distilled water for injection. This solution was chosen as the placebo. Injection every week during 12 month.

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

\- Digital osteoarthritis (IPD and IPP) according to ACR criteria (with an X-ray of the hands taken less than 3 months ago, showing at least 3 joints with digital osteoarthritis KL\>=2) and symptomatic for more than three months

Exclusion criteria

* Having a bilirubin level \> 5 mg/dl (85.5 µmol/l) * Pregnant or breastfeeding women (a urine pregnancy test will be performed on women of childbearing age), * Injection of hyaluronic acid within the previous 6 months, * Injection of cortisone derivatives within the previous 3 months, * Presence of psoriasis, * Inflammatory rheumatism, * Microcrystalline arthropathy, * Joint prosthesis in one of the joints of the hand, * Planned placement of a joint prosthesis in the hand during the study period, * Major progressive disease (life-threatening cardiovascular disease, hematopoietic cancers including myeloma, cancers with risk of bone metastases), * Liver failure. * Severe renal failure (creatinine clearance less than 50 ml/min). * Positive hepatitis B serology. * Tuberculosis, hepatitis C, HIV positive, or other immunodeficiency syndromes. * Uncontrolled infections. * Use of corticosteroids. * Use of morphine derivatives, * Taking Bactrim, * Taking high doses of aspirin (greater than or equal to 500mg/day), * Contraindications to the use of methotrexate,

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Structural lesion12 monthsThe progression of structural damage between M0 and M12, the worsening of digital osteoarthritis in a joint, will be defined by the change in stage of the Verbruggen-Veys score. The Verbruggen-Veys anatomical scoring system for hand osteoarthritis, which evaluates the radiographic progression of interphalangeal joints. This scale classifies each joint into five stages (N, S, J, E, R) reflecting increasing severity of structural damage. Progression is defined as a transition to a more advanced stage between M0 and M12. As this is a categorical ordinal scale rather than a continuous numerical score, there are no minimum or maximum numerical values. However, higher stages correspond to more severe structural damage and thus a worse outcome.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Function12 monthsHand function will be assessed using the Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index (AUSCAN). The AUSCAN is a validated patient-reported outcome measure that evaluates pain, stiffness, and physical function in hand osteoarthritis. The function subscale consists of 9 items, each scored on a Likert scale. The total function score ranges from 0 to 36, with higher scores indicating worse functional impairment. Changes in the AUSCAN function score between baseline (M0) and 12 months (M12) will be analyzed.
Effectiveness of the treatment on pain12 monthsThe effectiveness of the treatment on pain will be assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, a validated patient-reported outcome measure. The VAS consists of a 100 mm horizontal line, where 0 mm indicates "no pain" and 100 mm indicates "worst imaginable pain". The outcome will be expressed as the mean pain score (in millimeters) and the change in pain score from baseline (M0) at each time point (M3, M9, and M12). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity and therefore a worse outcome.

Countries

France

Contacts

CONTACTChristian ROUX, Pr
roux.c@chu-nice.fr492035512
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORYacine ALLAM, Dr

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 31, 2026