Sustained Remission in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Triple Therapy Compared to Biologic Therapy: A Swedish Nationwide Register Study.

Objective: To compare the real-life effectiveness of biologic therapy (a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug plus methotrexate [MTX]) versus triple therapy (MTX plus sulfasalazine plus hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine) for sustained remission of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: RA patients who were registered in the nationwide Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register between 2000 and 2012 and were receiving biologic or triple therapy as a first treatment strategy after MTX monotherapy were included. Sustained remission was defined as a Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) of <2.

Secular trends of sustained remission in rheumatoid arthritis, a nationwide study in Sweden.

Objectives: The aim of this study of patients with RA in Sweden was to investigate secular trends in achieving sustained remission (SR), i.e. DAS28 <2.

Antibody response to 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is not impaired in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or primary Sjögren's syndrome without disease modifying treatment.

Background: Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). However, little is known whether the diseases influence pneumococcal vaccine response. This study aimed to investigate antibody response and functionality of antibodies following immunization with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in RA patients or pSS patients without disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD), compared to patients with RA treated with DMARD or to healthy controls.

Comparative Analysis and Predictors of 10-year Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors Drug Survival in Patients with Spondyloarthritis: First-year Response Predicts Longterm Drug Persistence.

Objective: To evaluate the 10-year drug survival of the first tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) administered to patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) overall and comparatively between SpA subsets, and to identify predictors of drug retention.

Methods: Patients with SpA in the Hellenic Registry of Biologic Therapies, a prospective multicenter observational cohort, starting their first TNFi between 2004-2014 were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models were used.

Prevalence of sustained remission in rheumatoid arthritis: impact of criteria sets and disease duration, a Nationwide Study in Sweden.

Objectives: The aims of this national study in Sweden of patients with RA were to: examine the prevalence of sustained remission (SR), that is, remission lasting for at least 6 months; compare the prevalence of SR in patients with early RA and established RA; study the timing of onset of and time spent in SR; and study possible predictors of SR.

Methods: Adult patients with RA included in the Swedish Rheumatology Quality registry were studied. The registry was searched for patients fulfilling remission criteria: DAS28-ESR, Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and ACR/EULAR remission for at least 6 months.

Immunogenicity and safety of pneumococcal vaccination in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To study the impact of disease and treatment with DMARDs on antibody response elicited by either pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) or pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) in patients with SSc.

Methods: Forty-four SSc patients and 49 controls received a dose of either PCV13 or PPV23. Twelve patients were treated with DMARDs.

Rituximab in clinical practice: dosage, drug adherence, Ig levels, infections, and drug antibodies.

The objective of this study is to explore the following: (1) the impact of two different initial doses and cumulative 2-year dose of rituximab (RTX) on drug adherence and predictors of adherence to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in an observational clinical setting, (2) immunoglobulin levels (IgG/IgM/IgA) during repeated treatment and their relation to infections, and (3) development of anti-rituximab antibodies (ADA). All RA patients receiving RTX from January 2003 to April 2012 at the department were included. The initiating doses were 500 or 1000 mg intravenously days 1 and 15.

Immune response to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in patients with systemic vasculitis receiving standard of care therapy.

Aim: To study the effect of standard of care therapy on antibody response and functionality following immunization with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in patients with primary systemic vasculitis compared to healthy controls.

Methods: 49 patients with vasculitis and 49 controls received a single dose (0.5ml) PCV13 intramuscularly.

EQ-5D utility, response and drug survival in rheumatoid arthritis patients on biologic monotherapy: A prospective observational study of patients registered in the south Swedish SSATG registry.

Objectives: Biologic agents have dramatically changed treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To date only scarce head-to-head data exist especially when the biological therapies are given as monotherapy without concomitant disease modifying drugs (DMARDs). Thus the objective of the current study is to evaluate treatment response of all available biological therapies with special focus on utility (EQ-5D-3L) and drug survival of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) prescribed as monotherapy in RA patients in southern Sweden.

Methotrexate reduces vaccine-specific immunoglobulin levels but not numbers of circulating antibody-producing B cells in rheumatoid arthritis after vaccination with a conjugate pneumococcal vaccine.

Background: Treatment with methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leads to decreased total immunoglobulin (Ig) levels and impairs vaccine-specific IgG antibody levels following pneumococcal vaccination. The mechanisms by which MTX exerts these effects in RA are unknown. We aimed to evaluate whether MTX reduces vaccine-specific serum Ig levels and their functionality in RA patients following vaccination with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, and if numbers of antigen-specific circulating plasmablasts are affected.

Costs in Relation to Disability, Disease Activity, and Health-related Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Observational Data from Southern Sweden.

Objective: To compare how costs relate to disability, disease activity, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF)-treated patients with RA in southern Sweden (n = 2341) were monitored 2005-2010. Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28), and EQ-5D scores were linked to register-derived costs of antirheumatic drugs (excluding anti-TNF agents), patient care, and work loss from 30 days before to 30 days after each visit (n = 13,289).

Sustained Remission Improves Physical Function in Patients with Established Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Should Be a Treatment Goal: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study from Southern Sweden.

Objective: It has been proposed that remission should be maintained throughout the course of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, the evidence supporting this is limited. Physical function measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) is a major outcome in RA, and HAQ is shown to be one of the strongest predictors of longterm outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical function over a long time in patients with RA who achieved sustained remission (SR) compared with that of patients occasionally achieving remission [non-sustained remission (NSR)].

Circulating complexes between tumour necrosis factor-alpha and etanercept predict long-term efficacy of etanercept in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Aim: The relationship between tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and drug survival had not been studied in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and there were no laboratory tests to predict the long-term efficacy of biological drugs for JIA. We studied whether serum levels of TNF-α, free or bound to etanercept, could predict long-term efficacy of etanercept in children with JIA.

Methods: We included 41 biologic-naïve patients with JIA who started treatment with etanercept at Skåne University Hospital between 1999 and 2010.

Comparison of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis patients--baseline characteristics, treatment adherence, and development of clinical variables during three years of anti-TNF therapy in clinical practice.

Background: The relationship between non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is currently debated. Using observational data from the South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register, we thus aimed to compare clinical development and treatment adherence between nr-axSpA and AS patients during three years of anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) therapy in clinical practice, and to explore the impact of inflammatory activity measured by CRP (C-reactive protein) at treatment initiation.

Methods: Nr-axSpA and AS patients (n = 86/238) in southern Sweden, commencing anti-TNF therapy 1999-2011, were followed during three years.

Effectiveness and Feasibility Associated with Switching to a Second or Third TNF Inhibitor in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: A Cohort Study from Southern Sweden.

Objective: Because new modes of action for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are emerging, it is important to understand the use of switching to a second or third antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agent. This study investigated drug survival and treatment response rates of patients with PsA undergoing second- and third-line anti-TNF therapy.

Methods: Patients with PsA were monitored in a prospective, observational study.

Brief report: enhancement of patient recruitment in rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials using a multi-biomarker disease activity score as an inclusion criterion.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical trials often exclude patients who have low C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, which slows enrollment into the trial. The purpose of this study was to determine whether high Multi-Biomarker Disease Activity (MBDA) scores (>44) in RA patients with low CRP levels (≤10 mg/liter) could be used as a complement to CRP levels >10 mg/liter to enhance patient recruitment without affecting clinical trial outcomes.

Methods: We evaluated patients from the Swedish Pharmacotherapy (SWEFOT) trial, which did not include any selection criteria for CRP levels.

The association between antibody levels before and after 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine immunization and subsequent pneumococcal infection in chronic arthritis patients.

Introduction: The aim of present study is to inverstigate the association between antibody levels after vaccination with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and subsequent serious pneumococcal infections in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondylarthropathy (SpA) patients.

Methods: A cohort of 497 patients (RA=248 and SpA=249) received a single dose of PCV7. At vaccination, patients were treated with methotrexate (MTX; n=85), anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) + MTX (n=169), anti-TNF monotherapy (n=158) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)/analgesics (n=85).

Sustained Remission in Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor-treated Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-based Cohort Study.

Objective: To study frequency, possible baseline predictors, timing, and duration of sustained remission [SR; defined as 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) < 2.6 for at least 6 mos] in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with different tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors [etanercept (ETN), infliximab (IFX), adalimumab (ADA)]. In addition, the aim was to compare (head-to-head) the effectiveness of individual drugs in patients receiving their first anti-TNF treatment.

Changes in the anticitrullinated peptide antibody response in relation to therapeutic outcome in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the SWEFOT trial.

Objective: To determine the relationship between changes in antibody levels towards citrullinated peptides derived from different candidate autoantigens and therapeutic outcome in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Baseline and 3-month serum samples from 316 patients with early RA enrolled in the Swedish Farmacotherapy (SWEFOT) trial were analysed for antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP) and citrullinated peptides derived from vimentin (cVim), fibrinogen (cFib) and α-enolase (CEP-1). At 3-month follow-up, methotrexate monotherapy-inadequate responders were randomised to add-on therapy with sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine or infliximab.

Development of functional impairment and disability in rheumatoid arthritis patients followed for 20 years: relation to disease activity, joint damage, and comorbidity.

Objective: To study the course of impairment measured by Signals of Functional Impairment (SOFI) and disability measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) over 20 years in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients followed from the time of diagnosis, and to explore the contribution of disease activity, joint damage, and comorbidity to variation of SOFI and HAQ over time.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with RA from 1985-1989 were prospectively monitored. There were 183 patients, 63% women, mean ± SD age 52 ± 12 years.

Pretreatment multi-biomarker disease activity score and radiographic progression in early RA: results from the SWEFOT trial.

Objectives: Prediction of radiographic progression (RP) in early rheumatoid arthritis (eRA) would be very useful for optimal choice among available therapies. We evaluated a multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) score, based on 12 serum biomarkers as a baseline predictor for 1-year RP in eRA.

Methods: Baseline disease activity score based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), disease activity score based on C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP), CRP, MBDA scores and DAS28-ESR at 3 months were analysed for 235 patients with eRA from the Swedish Farmacotherapy (SWEFOT) clinical trial.

Cost-effectiveness of infliximab versus conventional combination treatment in methotrexate-refractory early rheumatoid arthritis: 2-year results of the register-enriched randomised controlled SWEFOT trial.

Objective: To estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness of infliximab versus conventional combination treatment over 21 months in patients with methotrexate-refractory early rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: In this multicentre, two-arm, parallel, randomised, active-controlled, open-label trial, rheumatoid arthritis patients with <1 year symptom duration were recruited from 15 rheumatology clinics in Sweden between October 2002 and December 2005. After 3-4 months of methotrexate monotherapy, patients not achieving low disease activity were randomised to addition of infliximab or sulfasalazine+hydroxychloroquine (conventional treatment group).

Current smoking status is a strong predictor of radiographic progression in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the SWEFOT trial.

Objectives: To study clinical predictors for radiographic progression after 1 year in an early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) trial.

Methods: In the SWEFOT trial population, disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) naïve RA patients started methotrexate; 3-month responders (DAS28 <3.2) continued (n=147), while non-responders were randomised to addition of sulfasalazine+hydroxychloroquine (n=130) or infliximab (n=128).

Impact of anti-rheumatic treatment on immunogenicity of pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine in patients with arthritis.

Introduction: An adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 influenza (pH1N1) vaccine (Pandemrix) was reported as highly immunogenic resulting in seroconversion in 77 to 94% of adults after administration of a single dose. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of different anti-rheumatic treatments on antibody response to pH1N1 vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondylarthropathy (SpA).

Methods: Patients with arthritis (n = 291; mean age 57 years, 64% women) participated.