Maintenance of improvements in workplace and household productivity and physical function at 2 years in early RA patients with severe progressive disease who achieved sustained low disease activity following 1 year of initial therapy, with two dosing frequencies of certolizumab pegol

Background: RA leads to high burden on patient (pt) work, functioning and quality of life. Certolizumab pegol (CZP)+MTX improves physical function,1 and workplace and household productivity,2,3 in established and early active RA. Here we report impact of maintaining, reducing frequency or stopping CZP from Week (Wk) 52 to 104 in pts who achieved sustained low disease activity (sLDA) following 1 year (yr) of CZP+optimized MTX. Objectives: To assess effect of 2 dosing frequencies of CZP+MTX vs stopping CZP on physical function and workplace/household productivity in Period 2 of C-EARLY, a phase 3 study in early RA pts with severe progressive disease. Methods: CZP+MTX-treated pts achieving sLDA (DAS28[ESR]≤3.2 at Wks40 and 52) in C-EARLY Period 1 (NCT01519791)4 entered Period 2 (NCT01521923), a randomized, double-blind study. Pts were randomized 2:3:2 to CZP standard dose (200mg Q2W+MTX), CZP reduced-frequency dose (200mg Q4W+MTX) or CZP stopped (PBO+MTX). Physical function (HAQ-DI) and %pts achieving normative physical function (HAQ-DI≤0.5) from Wk52 to 104 are reported (ANCOVA model with factors treatment, region, time since diagnosis at BL [≤4 vs >4 months], and BL/Wk52 values as covariate and logistic regression models [treatment, region and time since diagnosis at BL as factors] respectively; CZP stopped as comparator; LOCF). Workplace/household productivity (Work Productivity Survey, WPS)5 at Wk52 and 104 are reported (LOCF); non-parametric bootstrap-t method (CZP stopped as comparator). Results: In Period 2, 289 pts were included in the full analysis set: CZP Q2W+MTX (n=84), CZP Q4W+MTX (n=126) or PBO+MTX (n=79). Improvements in physical function were maintained from Wk52 to 104 in CZP Q2W+MTX (HAQ-DI mean [SD] 0.32 [0.42] to 0.37 [0.48], respectively) and CZP Q4W+MTX (0.33 [0.49] to 0.41 [0.57]), whereas deterioration was seen in PBO+MTX (0.33 [0.47] to 0.57 [0.65]). %pts with normative function was generally maintained between Wk52 to 104 in CZP Q2W+MTX (80.7% to 71.4%) and CZP Q4W+MTX (80.2% to 70.6%), but decreased in PBO+MTX pts (75.9% to 57.0%). At Wk104, employed CZP Q2W+MTX and CZP Q4W+MTX pts maintained on average the improvements in workplace productivity, whereas worsening was seen in pts stopping CZP (Table). Similar trends were observed in household productivity and need for regular assistance (Table). Conclusions: Pts continuing CZP treatment (both dose frequencies) after 1yr further maintained improvements at 2yrs in physical function and workplace/ household productivity, compared with pts who stopped CZP. (Table presented).