Certolizumab pegol, abatacept, tocilizumab or active conventional therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis: 48-week patient-reported outcomes from the NORD-STAR trial - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #patient-reported outcomes
- #biological DMARDs
- #rheumatoid arthritis
- The NORD-STAR trial compared patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with active conventional therapy or one of three biological DMARDs (certolizumab pegol, abatacept, tocilizumab) over 48 weeks.
- All treatment groups showed substantial improvements in PROs, including pain, fatigue, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), with biological DMARDs showing slightly greater improvements in pain and physical quality of life compared to conventional therapy.
- The study involved 795 patients across 29 centers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, with 69% being female and a mean age of 54 years.
- At 48 weeks, 76% of patients on certolizumab pegol and 79% on abatacept reported pain improvement exceeding the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), compared to 68% in the conventional treatment group.
- The findings highlight that early and effective treatment of RA leads to significant patient-reported benefits, regardless of the therapy type, though biological DMARDs may offer marginal additional benefits in certain PROs.
- The trial was funded by various regional and national health organizations, as well as pharmaceutical companies, and involved lived experience in its design and implementation.