Objectives: In refractory inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs) biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) may achieve remission. EULAR recommends bDMARD tapering when remission persists. However, guidelines on tapering modalities and criteria for patient selection are lacking. We aimed to evaluate remission persistency after lengthening the time between injections of golimumab in patients affected by IJD and to identify any patient or disease characteristics associated to flare after lengthening.
Methods: Patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treated with golimumab were enrolled in a retrospective observational study. Demographic data, ESR, cRP, DAS28/ BASDAI, were collected at baseline and during the follow-up (T1- defined as a medical check-up after 1 year of treatment or, for patients with longerg exposure, the first medical check-up in 2016, when at our unit we began to experience drug tapering- and T2- 12 months after the lengthening was started). In 22/80 patients in remission at T1, injection time was lengthened.
Results: Eighty patients were enrolled, 34 AS, 33 PsA, 9RA and 4 JIA. At baseline, all had an active disease. At T1, 60/80 patients reached remission and 22/60 patients started tapering. At T2, 20/22 pts (91%) were in remission. At T1 BASDAI was higher (2.2, SD 0.28 vs. 0.58, SD 0.47; p<0.001) in patients who lost remission at T2.Patients who flared recovered remission once taken back to a 28-day interval. 4/38 patients maintained at the standard dose flared up and switched/swapped bDMARD. The difference in retention rate toward patients on reduced dose was not significant.
Conclusions: Results show that golimumab lengthening is safe and successfully maintains remission. In patients who experienced a flare after lengthening, the standard regimen promptly restored remission.