Early treatment with adalimumab (Humira) may prevent progression of axial spondyloarthritis

People with axial spondyloarthritis who receive early treatment with adalimumab could be more likely to have low disease activity or reach remission within two years, says research in Medicine.
Axial spondyloarthritis refers to inflammatory disease where the main symptom is back pain, and where the X-ray changes of sacroiliitis may or may not be present.
A total of 37 people (25 women, average age 49 years) with early, active, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, which is when X-ray changes are not present but people have symptoms, who received one or more NSAID for at least three months were given 40mg adalimumab every other week.
Methotrexate had previously been given to 24 of the group, sulfasalazine to 10 people and hydroxychloroquine to three people. During the study period, nine people received methotrexate at the same time and three had sulfasalazine. People were treated for at least 24 months and assessed at the start of the study and then at six months, 12 months and 24 months.
The number of people who had a disease activity response of 50% improvement at six months was 51.3%, which increased to 70.3% at 12 months and to 76.8% at 24 months.
No unexpected adverse events occurred, and compliance was high.
“Adalimumab was effective on clinical and radiological outcomes at two-year follow-up,” the researchers conclude. “Thus, early treatment with adalimumab may prevent radiographic damage and be associated with low disease activity or remission. Moreover, data from this cohort study have confirmed safety and tolerability profile of adalimumab in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in the long term.”

Click here to read the original research.

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Image credit: Carlos Martinez