Key clinical point: Sarilumab monotherapy was as effective as its combination with methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hence, it could be a suitable alternative in patients with contraindications or intolerance to methotrexate.
Major finding: At 24 weeks, sarilumab vs. sarilumab + methotrexate groups had comparable least square mean change from baseline with overlapping confidence intervals for Clinical Disease Activity Index ( −28.79 vs. −26.21), 28-joint Disease Activity using C-reactive protein (−2.95 vs. −2.81), and pain visual analog scale (−33.62 vs. −31.66).
Study details: This was a post hoc analysis of 184 patients with RA who received sarilumab in the MONARCH trial and 399 patients with RA with inadequate response to methotrexate, who received a combination of sarilumab and methotrexate in the MOBILITY trial .
Disclosures: Sanofi provided funding for this study. The authors including the lead author reported receiving grants/research support, consultancy, speaker’s fees, and consultancy fees or honoraria from various sources. A Praestgaard and HV Hoogstraten reported being employees of Sanofi and may hold stock or stock options in the company.
Source: Burmester GR et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021 Sep 11. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keab676.