OP0182 Drug Free Remission After One Year of Treatment in Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Also Possible for ACPA Positive Patients?

Background In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remission is a realistic treatment goal. Is tapering medication to drug free remission (DFR) possible for all patients? Objectives To assess which patients with early (rheumatoid) arthritis achieve DFR after one year (DFR1year) of early remission induction therapy. Methods By protocol of the IMPROVED study, patients who achieved remission (DAS<1.6) after 4 months (early remission, n=375) of combination therapy with methotrexate 25 mg/wk and a tapered high dose of prednisone (60 mg/day tapered in 7 weeks to 7.5 mg/day, continued up to 4 months) had to taper stepwise and finally discontinue these drugs as long as remission was maintained. Characteristics of patients achieving and not achieving DFR1year were compared and predictors of DFR were identified using logistic regression. Follow up data of 16 months were included to investigate in how many patients DFR1year was sustained for 4 more months. Results 119 patients (32%) achieved DFR1year, while 245 (65%) flared and restarted medication over time. Eleven patients had insufficient data. Of patients in DFR1year, 51 (28%) at baseline fulfilled the 1987 and 2010 classification criteria for RA, 34 (35%) only fulfilled the 2010 criteria and 20 (35%) patients had UA and fulfilled neither criteria (p=0.4). In 77 (65%) DFR1year was sustained up to 16 months. Patients in DFR1year were more often rheumatoid factor (RF) negative than patients not achieving DFR1year, (50% versus 62%, p=0.04). There were no differences in baseline DAS (2.9 (0.9) versus 3.1 (0.8), p=0.12), symptom duration (16 (8-29) versus 17 (9-32), p=0.52) or ACPA positivity (56% versus 61% respectively, p=0.27). Univariable predictors were positive RF (OR 95%CI 0.6 (0.4-0.99)) and high baseline tender joint count (TJC) (OR 95%CI 0.9 (0.9-1.0). Baseline DAS, positive ACPA, age, male sex, being classified as RA according to the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria or short symptom duration were not predictive for DFR1year. The only independent predictor was RF negativity (OR 95%CI 0.6 (0.4-0.97, adjusted for baseline TJC). Conclusions Of 375 early (rheumatoid) arthritis patients who achieved remission after 4 months of initial combination therapy with methotrexate and prednisone, 32% maintained in remission despite having tapered and discontinued all drugs at 1 year. DFR was sustained up to 16 months in 65% of these. With this treatment strategy, presence of ACPA appears not to preclude drug discontinuation, but patients with positive RF achieved DFR after 1 year somewhat less often than RF negative patients. Disclosure of Interest None Declared