Safety and efficacy of secukinumab in patients with giant cell arteritis (TitAIN): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND

The treatment of giant cell arteritis with glucocorticoid-sparing agents is an unmet medical need. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of secukinumab, an anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, in patients with giant cell arteritis.

METHODS

We conducted a Bayesian randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase 2 study at 11 clinics or hospitals in Germany. Patients aged 50 years or older with new-onset or relapsing giant cell arteritis who were naive to biological therapy and already receiving glucocorticoids with a prednisolone equivalent dose of 25-60 mg/day were eligible for inclusion. Participants were assigned (1:1) to receive 300 mg secukinumab or placebo subcutaneously once a week up to week 4 and every 4 weeks thereafter. In both treatment groups, prednisolone dose was tapered down to 0 mg over a 26-week period. Patients, investigator staff, and clinical trial team were masked to the treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was the median proportion (Bayesian analysis) of patients with sustained remission until week 28 in the full analysis set (ie, all patients who received at least one dose of assigned treatment, analysed according to treatment assigned at randomisation). Sustained remission rate of the placebo group from a previous trial of tocilizumab in patients with giant cell arteritis was used to derive the prior distribution of placebo sustained remission rate for the primary endpoint. The safety of secukinumab was assessed in the safety set (ie, all patients who received at least one dose of study treatment, analysed according to study treatment received). This trial is completed and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03765788.

FINDINGS

Of the 65 patients who were assessed for eligibility, 52 patients (median age 75 years [IQR 69-79]; 35 [67%] female and 17 [33%] male, 52 [100%] White) were enrolled between Jan 30, 2019 and March 30, 2020 and were randomly assigned to receive secukinumab (n=27) or placebo (n=25). Four of 27 patients in the secukinumab group and eight of 25 patients in the placebo group discontinued treatment by week 28 of the study. On the basis of the Bayesian analysis, the median proportion of patients in sustained remission until week 28 was 70% (95% credibility interval 52-85) in the secukinumab group versus 20% (12-30) in the placebo group. The incidence of adverse events was similar in the secukinumab (27 [100%] of 27 patients had any adverse event) and placebo groups (24 [96%] of 25 patients had any adverse event); the most common adverse events were hypertension (six [22%] of 27 patients in the secukinumab group and eight [32%] of 25 patients in the placebo group) and nasopharyngitis (five [19%] of 27 patients in the secukinumab group and five [20%] of 25 patients in the placebo group). Two patients (one in each group) died during the study, neither of which was considered to be related to study treatment.

INTERPRETATION

Patients with active giant cell arteritis had a higher sustained remission rate in the secukinumab group than in the placebo group at week 28, in combination with glucocorticoid taper regimen. Secukinumab was tolerated well with no new safety concerns. This proof-of-concept phase 2 study further supports the development of secukinumab as a treatment option for people with giant cell arteritis.

FUNDING

Novartis Pharma.

Informations de copyright

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Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of interests NV declares speaker honorarium from AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, Roche, UCB, GlaxoSmithKline, and Vifor; being an advisory board member for AbbVie, Chugai, Novartis, UCB, and Vifor; consulting fees from Novartis, AbbVie, Chugai, and Vifor; research grants from Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis; meeting or travel grants from Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, AbbVie, and Vifor; and expert testimony for Novartis, Vifor, and AbbVie. WAS is part of speaker bureaus for AbbVie, Chugai, Medac, Novartis, Roche, and Sanofi; is an advisory board member for AbbVie, Chugai, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Roche, and Sanofi; and received research grants from AbbVie, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Sanofi. RB is part of speaker bureaus for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, Novartis, Roche, Galapagos, and Glaxo Smith Kline; is an advisory board member for Galapagos, GlaxoSmithKline, and Vifor; received research grants from Vifor; and is an unpaid board member for Commission für student education—German Rheumatology Society. JR is part of speaker bureaus for AbbVie, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sobi, and UCB and received consulting fees from AbbVie, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sobi, and UCB. LU received payments for speeches and seminar presentations from Novartis. H-PT is an advisory board member for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, Gilead, Lilly, Novartis, Roche, and Sanofi. SF received consulting fees from Amgen and Novartis; speaker honorarium from AbbVie, Amgen, Galapagos, Novartis, and UCB; and meeting or travel grants from Novartis, UCB, Galapagos, and Sobi. IA received consulting fees from Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Galapagos, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sobi, Takeda, and UCB; is part of speaker bureaus for AbbVie, Chugai, Gilead, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Sobi, and UCB; received payments for other services (receipt of equipment, materials, drugs, medical writing, and gifts) from Novartis; and received research grants from Lilly. SMW is an advisory board member for Novartis; received speaker honorarium from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, MSD, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer, and Roche; received meeting or travel grants from Abbvie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Otsuka, Pfizer, and UCB; and is an unpaid board member for Saarländisch-Pfälzische Internistengesellschaft and Arbeitskreis Nephrologie Saar-Pfalz Mosel. PL received speaker honorarium from Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, UCB, and Vifor; is an advisory board member for GlaxoSmithKline and Vifor; and received research grants from Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, John Grube Foundation, and Vifor. HS-K is part of speaker bureaus for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Medac, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB; is an advisory board member for AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chugai, Janssen, Medac, Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB; and received research grants from AbbVie and Novartis. CA is an employee of Novartis Pharma. EP is an employee of Novartis Pharma and owns Novartis stock. MHM is an employee and shareholder of Novartis Pharmaceuticals and is named on the patent for secukinumab in the treatment of giant cell arteritis, as an employee of Novartis, the funder. CS is an employee of Novartis Pharma and has Novartis stock options. MM is an employee of Novartis Pharma. JT declares speaker honorarium from Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, AstraZeneca, and Vifor; is an advisory board member for Novartis; received consulting fees from Novartis, Janssen, and GlaxoSmithKline; and received research grants from Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis. DMK declares no competing interests.