Antibodies to Infliximab and Adalimumab in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Clinical Remission: A Cross-Sectional Study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Antibodies to Infliximab and Adalimumab in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Clinical Remission

T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study

AU - Eng, Grith P

AU - Bendtzen, Klaus

AU - Bliddal, Henning

AU - Stoltenberg, Michael

AU - Szkudlarek, Marcin

AU - Fana, Viktoria

AU - Lindegaard, Hanne M

AU - Omerovic, Emina

AU - Højgaard, Pil

AU - Jensen, Elmo K

AU - Bouchelouche, Pierre N

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - Objective. To investigate if antibodies towards biological TNF-α inhibitors (anti-TNFi Abs) are present in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission and to relate any anti-TNFi Abs to circulating level of TNF-α inhibitor (TNFi). Methods. Patients with RA, treated with infliximab or adalimumab, and in clinical remission (DAS28(CRP) < 2.6) were included from 6 out-patient clinics. In blood samples, presence of anti-TNFi Abs was determined by radioimmunoassay, and concentration of bioactive TNFi was measured by a cell-based reporter gene assay. Results. Anti-TNFi Abs were present in 8/44 patients (18%) treated with infliximab and 1/49 patients (2%) treated with adalimumab (p = 0.012). In the former group, anti-TNFi Abs corresponded with low levels of TNFi (p = 0.048). Anti-TNFi Ab-positive patients had shorter disease duration at initiation of TNFi therapy (p = 0.023) but were similar for the rest of the compared parameters. Conclusions. In RA patients in clinical remission, anti-TNFi Abs occur frequently in patients treated with infliximab, while they occur rarely in patients treated with adalimumab. Presence of anti-infliximab Abs is accompanied by low or undetectable levels of infliximab. These data suggest that continued infliximab treatment may be redundant in a proportion of RA patients treated with infliximab and in clinical remission.

AB - Objective. To investigate if antibodies towards biological TNF-α inhibitors (anti-TNFi Abs) are present in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission and to relate any anti-TNFi Abs to circulating level of TNF-α inhibitor (TNFi). Methods. Patients with RA, treated with infliximab or adalimumab, and in clinical remission (DAS28(CRP) < 2.6) were included from 6 out-patient clinics. In blood samples, presence of anti-TNFi Abs was determined by radioimmunoassay, and concentration of bioactive TNFi was measured by a cell-based reporter gene assay. Results. Anti-TNFi Abs were present in 8/44 patients (18%) treated with infliximab and 1/49 patients (2%) treated with adalimumab (p = 0.012). In the former group, anti-TNFi Abs corresponded with low levels of TNFi (p = 0.048). Anti-TNFi Ab-positive patients had shorter disease duration at initiation of TNFi therapy (p = 0.023) but were similar for the rest of the compared parameters. Conclusions. In RA patients in clinical remission, anti-TNFi Abs occur frequently in patients treated with infliximab, while they occur rarely in patients treated with adalimumab. Presence of anti-infliximab Abs is accompanied by low or undetectable levels of infliximab. These data suggest that continued infliximab treatment may be redundant in a proportion of RA patients treated with infliximab and in clinical remission.

U2 - 10.1155/2015/784825

DO - 10.1155/2015/784825

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25759761

SN - 2090-1984

VL - 2015

SP - 1

EP - 7

JO - Arthritis

JF - Arthritis

M1 - 784825

ER -