Effect of discontinuing TNFα antagonist therapy in patients with remission of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the time to relapse after tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) antagonist discontinuation in patients with remission of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Among 304 patients taking TNFα antagonist therapy for RA, 21 achieved a remission and were taken off the TNFα antagonist. Remission was defined as DAS28 < 2.6 for at least 6 months without nonsteroidal inflammatory drugs or more than 5 mg of prednisone per day but with disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy if needed. The same TNFα antagonist was restarted in the event of a relapse (DAS28 > 3.2). Results The 21 patients had a mean age of 61 years, a mean disease duration of 11.3 years, and a mean remission duration at TNFα antagonist discontinuation of 19.2 months. The TNFα antagonist was infliximab in 2 patients, adalimumab in 5, and etanercept in 14; and 14 patients were taking a concomitant DMARD. The number of patients still in remission after TNFα antagonist discontinuation was 9/20 after 6 months and 5/20 after 12 months. Mean time to relapse was 14.7 weeks. While off TNFα antagonist therapy, 3 of the 5 relapse-free patients after 12 months were on DMARD therapy, compared to 11 of the 15 patients who relapsed. Compared to the 15 patients who relapsed, the 5 relapse-free patients had a longer time on TNFα antagonist therapy (56 months vs. 35 months, P = 0.012) and a longer time in remission on TNFα antagonist therapy (35 months vs.14.5 months, P = 0.04). The 15 patients who relapsed consistently achieved a remission after resuming TNFα antagonist therapy; the remission occurred within 2 months in 13 patients. Conclusion TNFα antagonist discontinuation in patients in remission of RA was followed by a relapse within 12 months in 75% of cases. Relapsing patients responded well to resumption of the same TNFα antagonist.