ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM
Vol. 44, No. 9, September 2001, pp 1984–1992
© 2001, American College of Rheumatology
Published by Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Two-Year, Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Trial of
Treatment of Active Rheumatoid Arthritis With Leflunomide
Compared With Methotrexate
Stanley Cohen,1 Grant W. Cannon,2 Michael Schiff,3 Arthur Weaver,4 Robert Fox,5
Nancy Olsen,6 Daniel Furst,7 John Sharp,8 Larry Moreland,9 Jacques Caldwell,10
Jeffrey Kaine11 (for the Utilization of Leflunomide in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Trial Investigator Group), and Vibeke Strand12
Objective. Three 6–12-month, double-blind, randomized, controlled trials have shown leflunomide
(LEF; 20 mg/day, loading dose 100 mg 3 3 days) to be
effective and safe for the treatment of rheumatoid
arthritis (RA). This analysis of the North American trial
assessed whether the clinical benefit evident at month
12 was sustained over 24 months of treatment with LEF
as compared with the efficacy and safety of methotrexate (MTX), an equivalent disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, at 24 months.
Methods. The year-2 cohort, comprising patients
continuing into the second year of treatment with >1
dose of study medication and >1 followup visit after
week 52, consisted of 235 patients (LEF n 5 98; placebo
n 5 36; MTX n 5 101). The mean (6SD) maintenance
dose of LEF was 19.6 6 1.99 mg/day in year 2 and that
of MTX was 12.6 6 4.69 mg/week. Statistical analyses
used an intent-to-treat (ITT) approach. Statistical com-
parisons of the active treatments only were prospectively
defined in the protocol.
Results. In total, 85% and 79% of LEF and MTX
patients, respectively, who entered year 2 completed 24
months of treatment. From month 12 to month 24, the
American College of Rheumatology improvement response rates of >20% (LEF 79% versus MTX 67%; P 5
0.049), >50% (LEF 56% versus MTX 43%; P 5 0.053),
and >70% (LEF 26% versus MTX 20%; P 5 0.361) were
sustained in both of the active treatment groups. The
mean change in total Sharp radiologic damage scores at
year 2 compared with year 1 and baseline (LEF 1.6
versus MTX 1.2) showed statistically equivalent sustained retardation of radiographic progression in the
active treatment groups. Maximal improvements evident at 6 months in the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (HAQ DI) and the physical
component score of the Medical Outcomes Survey 36item short form were sustained over 12 months and 24
months; improvement in the HAQ DI with LEF (20.60)
was statistically significantly superior to that with MTX
(20.37) at 24 months (P 5 0.005). Over 24 months in
the ITT cohort, serious treatment-related adverse events
were reported in 1.6% of the LEF-treated patients and
3.7% of the MTX-treated patients. Frequently reported
adverse events included upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, rash, reversible
alopecia, and transient liver enzyme elevations.
Conclusion. The safety and efficacy of LEF and
MTX were maintained over the second year of this
2-year trial. Both active treatments retarded radiographic progression over 24 months. LEF was statistically significantly superior to MTX in improving physical function as measured by the HAQ DI over 24
Supported by a research grant from Aventis Pharmaceuticals.
1
Stanley Cohen, MD: St. Paul Medical Center, Dallas, TX;
2
Grant W. Cannon, MD: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT;
3
Michael Schiff, MD: Denver Arthritis Clinic, Denver, CO; 4Arthur
Weaver, MD: Arthritis Center of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE; 5Robert Fox,
MD, PhD, FACP: Allergy & Rheumatology Clinic, La Jolla, CA;
6
Nancy Olsen, MD: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; 7Daniel
Furst, MD: Virginia Mason Research Center, Seattle, WA; 8John
Sharp, MD: University of Washington, Seattle, WA; 9Larry Moreland,
MD: University of Alabama Station, Birmingham, AL; 10Jacques
Caldwell, MD: Halifax Clinical Research Institute, Daytona Beach,
FL; 11Jeffrey Kaine, MD: Sarasota Arthritis Center, Sarasota, FL;
12
Vibeke Strand, MD, FACP: Stanford University School of Medicine,
Palo Alto, CA.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Stanley
Cohen, MD, 5939 Harry Hines Boulevard, Suite 400, Dallas, TX
75235.
Submitted for publication January 15, 2001; accepted in
revised form April 27, 2001.
1984
TWO-YEAR TREATMENT OF RA WITH LEFLUNOMIDE
months of treatment. Results indicate that LEF is a safe
and effective initial treatment for active RA, with clinical benefit sustained over 2 years of treatment without
evidence of new or increased toxicity.
Leflunomide (LEF), a pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor (Arava; Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Bridgewater, NJ),
is a novel immunomodulatory agent that was first shown
to be effective in treating active rheumatoid arthritis
(RA) in a placebo-controlled phase II study of 402
patients with active disease (1). Three multinational,
randomized, controlled phase III trials demonstrated
that LEF is a safe and effective disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), equivalent to methotrexate
(MTX) and sulfasalazine, for treating the signs and
symptoms of RA and retarding disease progression as
measured by radiography (2–5).
This report presents the results of the second
year of therapy in the 24-month Utilization of Leflunomide in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (ULTRA) trial, comparing LEF with MTX and placebo.
Initial 12-month data from this trial have previously
been published and demonstrated American College of
Rheumatology (ACR) response rates of $20% with
LEF, which were significantly better than the response
with placebo and equivalent to the response with MTX
(2). Similar results were evident by ACR $50% and
ACR $70% response rates, as well as by mean improvements in individual measures of disease activity and
retardation of disease progression as assessed by radiography (2,5). Compared with MTX- and placebotreated patients, LEF significantly improved physical
function and health-related quality of life as measured
by the Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index
(HAQ DI) at the 12-month followup visit (6,7). The
objectives in evaluating the second year of double-blind
therapy were to determine if the efficacy and safety
observed at 12 months with LEF and MTX were sustained over 24 months of treatment, and to compare the
response to the active treatments at 24 months. Sustained therapeutic benefit is important when treating a
debilitating chronic disease such as RA.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients. To enroll in the 24-month ULTRA trial,
patients had to be 18–75 years of age, to have had RA (by the
ACR [formerly, the American Rheumatism Association] criteria [8]) for $6 months, and to have not previously received
MTX. Active RA was defined by the presence of at least 3 of
the following 4 criteria: $9 tender joints, $6 swollen joints,
morning stiffness lasting $45 minutes, or Westergren erythro-
1985
cyte sedimentation rate (ESR) $28 mm/hour. Patients could
not have been receiving other DMARDs for $30 days prior to
treatment. Prednisone (#10 mg/day) and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) doses needed to be stable for $30
days prior to enrollment and remain so during the protocol
treatment. Men and women of childbearing potential were
required to use medically approved contraception that had to
be continued for $6 months after completion of the protocol
treatment. This study received approval from the appropriate
ethics review boards and was conducted following the principles established by the Declaration of Helsinki.
All patients who continued treatment into the second
year and received at least 1 dose of study medication and
attended 1 followup visit after week 52 were included in the
year-2 cohort, regardless of ACR responder status. Of those
continuing into the second year of treatment, 75 LEF-treated
patients (77%) and 61 MTX-treated patients (60%) were ACR
20% responders at 12 months.
Study medication and administration. During the second year of treatment, the daily oral dose of LEF was to
remain at 20 mg/day, unless problems with tolerability required
a dose reduction to 10 mg/day. Weekly doses of MTX could be
increased at the discretion of the investigator, from 15 mg to
17.5 mg or 20 mg/week; almost all patients ($99%) received
daily folate at doses of 1–2 mg. As specified in the ACR
monitoring guidelines for therapy with MTX, dose adjustments, treatment discontinuation, and/or liver biopsy were
mandated for all patients with persistent liver enzyme elevations (9). The protocol mandated dose adjustments for persistent elevations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or
aspartate aminotransferase (AST), defined as .2 but #3 times
higher than the upper limits of normal values; either a single
7.5 mg/week reduction in the dose of MTX or a single 10
mg/day reduction in the dose of LEF was to occur. If elevations
in the ALT and AST persisted after these dose reductions in
study medication, the protocol treatment was to be discontinued. For persistent elevations .3 times the upper limit of
normal, treatment discontinuation was mandated.
Outcome measures. In treatment year 2, the following
components of the ACR response criteria were assessed every
6 weeks, from week 52 to week 100 and at week 104 or at the
time of early withdrawal: tender and swollen joint counts (28
joints each), patient and physician global assessments using a
visual analog scale (VAS; 0–10 cm), patient assessment of pain
on VAS (0–10 cm), modified HAQ score, Westergren ESR,
and C-reactive protein level. In addition, the HAQ DI, Problem Elicitation Technique (PET), Medical Outcomes Survey
36-item short form (SF-36), and work productivity index were
administered at weeks 76 and 104 or at early withdrawal. Single
emulsion radiographs of the hands and feet were obtained at
weeks 52 and 104 or at early withdrawal. Films were randomized for sequence and blinded for treatment group and sequence before being scored a second time using the modified
Sharp score, in which 34 joints and 36 joints in the hands were
assessed for erosions and joint space narrowing, respectively,
and 12 joints in the feet (10,11).
At 12 and 24 months, ACR $20%, $50%, and $70%
responses and mean changes in each of the individual components of the ACR response criteria were compared between
active treatments. The area under the curve (AUC) of the
ACR $20% responses and the number of weeks a patient
1986
COHEN ET AL
remained an ACR $20% responder were compared between
the active treatments. Mean changes in the HAQ DI, PET
weighted top 5 score, SF-36 scales, and work productivity index
were compared over 12 and 24 months of treatment to assess
whether improvements in physical function and health-related
quality of life were sustained over 2 years within each active
treatment group and between active treatments. Radiographic
analyses were performed at 12 and 24 months and the results
were compared within and between active treatment groups. A
correlation analysis of first versus second year Sharp radiologic
damage readings was performed to assess within-reader reliability using Pearson’s correlation.
Statistical methods. Data from year-2 patients who
continued blinded treatment were analyzed to determine if the
efficacy and safety observed over 12 months with LEF and
MTX would be sustained over 24 months, and to compare
their therapeutic effects. Two populations were prospectively
defined for analysis: the intent-to-treat (ITT) patient population (all patients enrolled who received $1 dose of study drug)
and the year-2 cohort (all patients who received $1 dose of
study medication and had $1 followup visit after week 52 and
whose data had undergone analysis with the last observation
carried forward [LOCF] for those withdrawing early). Results
of the 52-week analyses have been published (2,5,6). The
year-2 cohort data were analyzed using an ITT approach in
which the last observation was carried forward (the LOCF) for
those patients discontinuing treatment before week 104; therefore, all patients entering the year-2 cohort were included in
the analyses.
Efficacy analyses did not include patients administered
alternate therapy on or after 4 months of treatment or the
small number of patients receiving placebo who entered the
second year of treatment (n 5 36) (2,7,12). In the protocol,
2-year comparisons between the active treatments and placebo
were performed with exclusions made prospectively; only 14 of
the 36 placebo-treated patients completed 2 years of protocol
participation, all as ACR responders.
Demographics and disease history were analyzed using
a chi-square test for categorical data and analysis of covariance
(ANCOVA) for continuous data. Analysis of ACR response
Table 1. Patient demographics*
ITT population
Mean age, years
Women, %
Mean duration of
RA, years
RA #2 years, %
patients
RA $5 years, %
patients
Past DMARDs,
mean no.
No prior DMARD,
% patients
Year-2 cohort
LEF
(n 5 190)
MTX
(n 5 190)
LEF
(n 5 98)
MTX
(n 5 101)
54
73
6.9
53
74
6.5
55
69
5.9
53
68
6.7
39
41
43
44
44
37
42
37
0.8
44
0.9
44
0.8
45
0.9
46
* ITT 5 intent-to-treat; LEF 5 leflunomide; MTX 5 methotrexate;
RA 5 rheumatoid arthritis; DMARD 5 disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.
Figure 1. Kaplan-Meier analysis of discontinuations in the intent-totreat population. LEF 5 leflunomide; PL 5 placebo; MTX 5 methotrexate.
criteria for both the ITT population and the year-2 cohort was
performed using logistic regression. End-point comparisons of
outcome measures between LEF and MTX were performed
using ANCOVA. A multivariate analysis of variance, including
the HAQ DI, the PET weighted top 5 score, and the 8 domains
and physical and mental component scores of the SF-36, was
used to characterize overall differences between LEF and
MTX at 24 months. When differences were present, analysis of
variance was used to compare results on the individual scales
between the LEF and MTX treatment groups. Within both
active treatment groups, analysis of consistency of effect
between month 12 and month 24 was performed using paired
t-tests. Radiographic data were analyzed using ANCOVA to
compare treatment groups, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test
was performed to compare year-1 and year-2 results within the
active treatment groups.
RESULTS
Demographics and patient disposition. Demographic variables in the patient population entering the
second year of therapy were similar to the overall ITT
population (Table 1). Approximately 40% of patients
had a disease duration of #2 years, and ;45% of
patients were DMARD naive. In all, 508 patients (190
LEF, 128 placebo, 190 MTX) were enrolled in the
ULTRA trial (data from 26 patients enrolled in Canada
and included here were unavailable for inclusion in the
previously reported 1-year results [2]). A total of 199
patients (98 LEF and 101 MTX) continued into the
second year of blinded active treatment. Of these 199
patients, 83 patients (85%) receiving LEF and 80 (79%)
receiving MTX completed the entire 24 months of
therapy (Figure 1). The mean (6SD) maintenance dose
of LEF was 19.6 6 1.99 mg/day during year 2 of
treatment (median 20.0 mg/day) compared with 19.7 6
1.73 mg/day for year 1 (median 20.0 mg/day). The mean
TWO-YEAR TREATMENT OF RA WITH LEFLUNOMIDE
Figure 2. American College of Rheumatology $20% improvement
response rates over time in the intent-to-treat population. For early
withdrawals during year 2, the last observation carried forward is used.
p 5 P # 0.001 versus PL; § 5 P 5 0.317 versus MTX (statistically
equivalent; 95% confidence interval 25.0–15.3). See Figure 1 for
definitions.
maintenance dose of MTX administered during treatment year 2 was 12.6 6 4.69 mg/week (median 15.0
mg/week) compared with 11.7 6 3.75 mg/week (median
15.0 mg/week) during year 1. The doses of corticosteroids in the year-2 cohort were decreased after month
12, as allowed per protocol, in 22% of LEF-treated
patients (11 of 50) and 24% of MTX-treated patients (9
Table 2.
ACR response rates*
ITT population
No. of patients
1-year results
ACR $20%
ACR $50%
ACR $70%
2-year results
ACR $20%
ACR $50%
ACR $70%
Mean 2-year AUC, weeks
Year-2 cohort
No. of patients
1-year results
ACR $20%
ACR $50%
ACR $70%
2-year results
ACR $20%
ACR $50%
ACR $70%
Mean 2-year AUC, weeks
LEF
MTX
190
190
52
34
20
46
23
9
53
34
17
44
48
28
12
40
98
101
77
57
32
60
32
13
79
56
26
78
67
43
20
66
95% CI
P
25.0–15.3
22.1–16.6
21.8–12.2
25.3–15.4
0.317
0.127
0.143
0.339
0.1–24.4
20.2–27.4
26.1–16.8
21.37–23.1
0.049
0.053
0.361
0.082
* Except where otherwise indicated, values are the percentage of
patients. For early withdrawals during the trial, the last observation
carried forward is used. ACR 5 American College of Rheumatology;
95% CI 5 95% confidence interval; AUC 5 area under the curve (see
Table 1 for other definitions).
1987
Figure 3. American College of Rheumatology $20% improvement
response rates over time in the year-2 cohort. For early withdrawals
during year 2, the last observation carried forward is used. p 5 P 5
0.049 versus MTX (95% confidence interval 0.1–24.4). See Figure 1 for
definitions.
of 38) (mean decreases of 3.7 mg/day and 3.4 mg/day,
respectively).
Clinical efficacy. Using the LOCF, ACR $20%
response rates in the LEF and MTX treatment groups
were statistically equivalent at 12 months (52% versus
46%, respectively) and 24 months (53% versus 48%; P 5
0.317, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 25.0–15.3) in
the ITT population (Figure 2). ACR $20% response
rates showed that the effects of LEF were evident as
early as 1 month into therapy. AUC analysis of the
weeks of ACR $20% responses in the ITT population
demonstrated a mean (6SD) of 43.7 6 42.4 weeks of
response with LEF compared with 40.0 6 37.9 weeks
with MTX (P 5 0.339, 95% CI 25.3–15.4) (Table 2).
In the year-2 cohort, maximal ACR $20% response rates were attained on or before 6 months and
sustained over 24 months in both active treatment
groups (Table 2 and Figure 3). At 24 months, LEF
treatment was associated with higher ACR $20% response rates than was MTX treatment (79% versus 67%;
P 5 0.049, 95% CI 0.1–24.4). ACR $50% response rates
for patients at 24 months were numerically greater
following treatment with LEF compared with MTX
(LEF 56% versus MTX 43%; P 5 0.053, 95% CI
20.2–27.4). This was also the case for ACR $70%
response rates (LEF 26% versus MTX 20%; P 5 0.361,
95% CI 26.1–16.8). Responses were sustained from 12
months to 24 months, reflecting a consistent treatment
effect (Table 2). The AUC analysis of weeks of ACR
$20% response in the year-2 cohort demonstrated a
mean (6SD) of 77.6 6 30.1 weeks (75% of 104 weeks)
with LEF administration compared with 66.4 6 32.0
weeks (64% of 104 weeks) for MTX (P 5 0.082; 95% CI
21.37–23.1). Mean changes from baseline in individual
components of the ACR response criteria over 24
1988
COHEN ET AL
Table 3. Mean changes in individual American College of Rheumatology outcome parameters and morning stiffness in the year-2 cohort*
Leflunomide
(n 5 98)
TJC (28 joints)
Baseline
13.4 6 5.6
D at 12 months
210.7 6 6.4
D at 24 months
210.1 6 6.7†
SJC (28 joints)
Baseline
13.3 6 6.3
D at 12 months
28.7 6 5.6
D at 24 months
28.2 6 6.1
Patient global assessment (VAS)
Baseline
5.3 6 2.0
D at 12 months
23.4 6 2.2
D at 24 months
23.3 6 2.6
Physician global assessment
(VAS)
Baseline
5.9 6 1.5
D at 12 months
24.3 6 1.9
D at 24 months
24.1 6 2.4†
MHAQ score
Baseline
0.7 6 0.5
D at 12 months
20.45 6 0.5
D at 24 months
20.43 6 0.5†
Patient assessment of pain (VAS)
Baseline
5.5 6 2.2
D at 12 months
23.2 6 2.6
D at 24 months
23.3 6 2.6†
ESR, mm/hour
Baseline
38.3 6 26.0
D at 12 months
210.7 6 24.8
D at 24 months
26.5 6 27.2
CRP, mg/dl
Baseline
22.1 6 27.5
D at 12 months
29.6 6 25.8
D at 24 months
29.8 6 27.9
Morning stiffness, minutes
Baseline
191.4 6 304.8
D at 12 months
2152.8 6 260.9
D at 24 months
2149.8 6 321.0†
Methotrexate
(n 5 101)
14.3 6 6.5
28.3 6 7.1
28.8 6 9.0
13.0 6 5.4
26.6 6 5.3
27.7 6 6.7
5.1 6 2.2
22.4 6 2.6
22.4 6 2.8
5.6 6 1.7
23.2 6 2.2
23.4 6 2.7
0.7 6 0.5
20.25 6 0.5
20.28 6 0.5
5.3 6 2.1
22.4 6 2.6
22.4 6 2.8
35.9 6 25.7
211.0 6 22.1
27.9 6 23.5
20.2 6 19.4
27.8 6 19.3
25.4 6 26.8
144.0 6 215.8
295.1 6 226.0
290.8 6 265.5
* Values are the mean 6 SD. TJC 5 tender joint count; SJC 5 swollen
joint count; VAS 5 visual analog scale (0–10 cm); MHAQ 5 modified
Health Assessment Questionnaire; ESR 5 erythrocyte sedimentation
rate; CRP 5 C-reactive protein.
† P # 0.05 versus methotrexate.
months in the year-2 cohort were similar to those
observed at 12 months with both active treatments
(Table 3).
A total of 137 of 199 patients (69%) in the year-2
cohort had baseline, 12-, and 24-month (or early exit)
radiographs. As previously reported, to estimate how
rapidly joint destruction occurred between disease onset
and study entry, a yearly rate of radiographic progression was estimated by dividing the individual baseline
total radiographic score by disease duration for that
patient (10). The imputed yearly progression rate for the
LEF-treated patients was a 4.03/year increase in total
Sharp scores, and for the MTX-treated patients, a
3.75/year increase in total Sharp scores. When comparing the mean changes in total Sharp scores from baseline
over 12 months and 24 months of active treatment, both
the LEF and MTX treatment groups demonstrated
retardation of disease progression (Table 4). In addition,
an evaluation of the erosion and joint space narrowing
subscores demonstrated retardation of disease progression.
There were no changes from baseline in the
median total Sharp scores in both active treatment
groups at 12 and 24 months. A high correlation between
the duplicate readings of baseline and year-1 radiographs was confirmed when these were reread along
with the year-2 films (correlation coefficient 0.971 for
year-1 films and 0.972 for baseline films; P 5 0.0001).
Patients in both treatment groups showed little or
no progression of radiographic damage. A total of 88%
of LEF-treated patients and 80% of MTX-treated patients in the year-2 cohort had no newly eroded joints
during year 2. In addition, 73% of patients in both active
treatment groups in the year-2 cohort had no newly
eroded joints during 24 months of treatment; 72% of
patients in the LEF and 70% in the MTX year-2 cohorts
Table 4. Total Sharp scores and erosion and joint space narrowing (JSN) subscores at 1 and 2 years, and
change between year 1 and year 2*
Total Sharp score
Baseline
D at year 2
D between year 1 and year 2
P, year 1 D vs. year 2 D‡
Erosion subscore
Baseline
D at year 2
D between year 1 and year 2
P, year 1 D vs. year 2 D‡
JSN subscore
Baseline
D at year 2
D between year 1 and year 2
P, year 1 D vs. year 2 D‡
Leflunomide
(n 5 71)
Methotrexate
(n 5 66)
23.8 6 38.5
1.6 6 4.2
0.4 6 2.7
0.0172
95% CI
P†
25.1 6 42.3
1.2 6 3.8
0.7 6 2.1
0.4572
21.39–2.19
0.659
10.3 6 25.6
1.0 6 3.1
0.3 6 1.8
0.0689
10.6 6 22.9
0.6 6 1.7
0.3 6 1.1
0.8934
20.67–1.63
0.412
13.5 6 17.2
0.5 6 1.7
0.1 6 1.31
0.1621
14.5 6 21.7
0.6 6 2.6
0.4 6 1.4
0.4443
21.01–0.87
0.878
* Values are the mean 6 SD, except where indicated otherwise. 95% CI 5 95% confidence interval.
† Relates to comparison between treatment groups.
‡ Relates to change from year 1 to year 2 within treatment groups.
TWO-YEAR TREATMENT OF RA WITH LEFLUNOMIDE
1989
Table 5. Mean change in the HAQ DI, PET top 5, and SF-36 scores
in the year-2 cohort*
HAQ DI
Baseline
D at 12 months
D at 24 months
PET top 5
Baseline
D at 12 months
D at 24 months
SF-36 PCS
Baseline
D at 12 months
D at 24 months
SF-36 MCS
Baseline
D at 12 months
D at 24 months
Leflunomide
(n 5 97)
Methotrexate
(n 5 101)
1.2
20.61
20.60
1.2
20.38
20.37
0.005
19.9
29.5
29.12
18.4
24.5
24.34
,0.010
30.9
11.88
10.8
30.2
7.97
8.37
0.195
48.5
3.57
4.65
49.8
2.51
2.67
0.062
demonstrated that the significant improvements observed at 6–12 months in the HAQ DI, PET top 5 score,
and SF-36 scores were maintained over 24 months in
both treatment groups (Table 5). Consistent with the
data reported following 12 months of treatment (6,7),
significantly greater improvements were evident with
LEF compared with MTX at 24 months in the HAQ DI
(20.60 versus 20.37; P 5 0.005), the PET weighted
top 5 score (29.12 versus 24.34; P 5 0.0010), and 3 of
the 8 SF-36 domains: bodily pain (30.13 versus 19.18;
P 5 0.0023), vitality (19.07 versus 12.50; P 5 0.0290),
and emotional role (22.40 versus 6.83; P 5 0.0029)
(Table 5) (6).
Safety. Adverse events were monitored for the
entire ITT population over 24 months of treatment
(Tables 6 and 7). Adverse events reported in placebotreated patients (n 5 128) were included in the 24month safety comparison and were used for comparison
of event rates per 100 patient-years of exposure (Table
7). During the 24 months of treatment, 27% of LEFtreated, 9.4% of placebo-treated, and 17% of MTXtreated patients withdrew as a result of adverse events.
Serious adverse events were reported in 18.9% of
LEF-treated, 9.4% of placebo-treated, and 18.9% of
MTX-treated patients over 24 months. Serious adverse
events considered by the investigators to be related to
study drug administration were reported in 3 LEFtreated (1.6%), 2 placebo-treated (1.6%), and 7 MTXtreated (3.7%) patients. These included asymptomatic
liver enzyme elevations (2 LEF, 1 placebo, 4 MTX),
P
* Negative change indicates improvement for the Health Assessment
Questionnaire disability index (HAQ DI) and the Problem Elicitation
Technique (PET) weighted top 5 score; positive change indicates
improvement for the Medical Outcomes Survey 36-item short form
(SF-36) physical and mental component scores (PCS and MCS,
respectively).
had no change in erosion scores from baseline to 24
months. During the second year, 81% of LEF-treated
patients and 70% of MTX-treated patients had no
change in joint space narrowing scores; 73% and 71%,
respectively, had no change in joint space narrowing
scores from baseline to 24 months.
Analyses of physical function in the year-2 cohort
Table 6.
Summary of reported serious adverse events (AEs) in the intent-to-treat population*
First 12 months
All serious AEs
Treatment-related AEs
AEs leading to withdrawal
Treatment-related AEs leading to withdrawal
Specific AEs
Diarrhea
URI
Headache
Nausea
Dyspepsia
Rash
Hypertension
New onset
Alopecia
Abdominal pain
Dizziness
UTI
Vomiting
Mouth ulcer
Pruritis
24 months
LEF
(n 5 190)
PL
(n 5 128)
MTX
(n 5 190)
LEF
(n 5 190)
PL
(n 5 128)
MTX
(n 5 190)
16.3
1.1
3.7
0.5
8.6
1.6
1.6
0.8
7.4
2.6
3.2
1.6
18.9
1.6
4.2
1.1
9.4
1.6
1.6
0.8
18.9
3.7
6.3
1.6
32.6
28.9
18.4
16.3
16.3
14.2
11.6
2.1
10.0
8.9
7.9
6.8
5.8
5.8
4.7
18.8
21.1
16.4
18.0
14.8
8.6
6.3
0.0
0.8
3.1
7.0
7.8
6.3
5.5
0.8
19.5
31.6
20.5
17.9
13.2
8.9
3.2
1.6
5.8
7.9
4.7
1.6
2.6
9.5
2.1
36.8
37.4
20.0
18.4
18.4
17.4
18.4
4.7
10.5
11.6
8.9
8.4
7.4
6.8
4.7
20.3
25.0
17.2
18.8
16.4
8.6
8.6
0.0
0.8
3.9
7.0
9.4
6.3
5.5
0.8
21.6
38.4
23.2
20.5
14.2
11.1
4.7
2.6
5.8
7.9
5.8
5.8
3.7
10.5
3.2
* Values are the percentage of patients. PL 5 placebo; URI 5 upper respiratory tract infection; UTI 5 urinary tract infection (see Table 1 for other
definitions).
1990
COHEN ET AL
Table 7. Summary of adverse events in .10 patients per 100 patientyears in any treatment group*
Leflunomide
(n 5 190)
Placebo
(n 5 128)
Methotrexate
(n 5 190)
32.1
31.7
17.2
15.8
15.8
15.8
14.9
13.1
10.0
9.5
9.0
9.0
9.0
7.2
6.3
32.0
26.0
22.0
24.0
21.0
11.0
11.0
4.0
5.0
12.0
11.0
12.0
11.0
12.0
12.0
32.3
18.1
19.5
17.3
11.9
4.0
9.3
9.7
6.6
8.8
12.4
6.2
10.2
4.9
7.5
Respiratory infection
Diarrhea
Headache
Nausea
Dyspepsia
Hypertension
Rash
LFE elevations
Abdominal pain
Arthralgia
Accidental injury
Asthenia
Sinusitis
UTI
Increased cough
more often in patients receiving MTX. Rash and pruritus were observed more frequently with LEF treatment.
Reversible alopecia was reported in 10.5%, 0.8%, and
5.8% of patients receiving LEF, placebo, and MTX,
respectively. Three LEF-treated, 1 placebo-treated, and
5 MTX-treated patients withdrew early because of alopecia. The commonly reported adverse events in the
active treatment groups were comparable when patientyears of exposure were taken into account (Table 7).
Mild-to-moderate hypertension was more frequent in the LEF treatment group after 24 months.
However, hypertension was more common in the LEF
group at baseline (LEF 13.7%, placebo 8.6%, MTX
2.1%). New-onset hypertension occurred in 4.7% of
LEF-treated, 0% of placebo-treated, and 2.6% of MTXtreated patients, all of whom were receiving concomitant
NSAIDs. During the 24-month study, mean increases
from baseline in the supine systolic and diastolic blood
pressures were higher with LEF treatment but remained
small in magnitude: 1.61 and 1.31 mm Hg, respectively,
with LEF, 0.91 and 0.04 mm Hg, respectively, with
placebo, and 0.27 and 20.08 mm Hg, respectively, with
MTX treatment.
Mean changes in hematologic parameters were
small and not clinically important. No thrombocytopenia
(,100,000), leukopenia (,2,000), or pancytopenia was
observed. Elevations in the ALT and/or AST levels were
observed in all treatment groups. All ALT and/or AST
elevations in the LEF-treated patients reversed to #2
times the upper limit of normal and/or normalized to
#1.2 times the upper limit of normal, without a change
in dose in approximately half of the LEF-treated patients (13 of 24) (Table 8). Following the ACR guidelines for monitoring liver toxicity (9), 2 liver biopsies
performed during the first year of the trial, as previously
reported (1 patient receiving LEF [week 10] and 1
patient receiving MTX [week 50]), showed no evidence
of fibrosis (2). Three additional biopsies were performed
* Values are the number of patients per 100 patient-years of exposure.
LFE 5 liver function enzyme; UTI 5 urinary tract infection.
pneumonia (1 LEF, 1 MTX), hypertension (1 placebo),
sepsis (1 LEF, 1 MTX), and interstitial pneumonitis (1
MTX). Three deaths occurred during the 24-month trial,
of which 1 occurred in a placebo-treated patient (cardiac
arrest) and 2 in MTX-treated patients (1 from sepsis and
pneumonia [treatment related]; 1 from cardiac arrest
and pulmonary embolism [not treatment related]).
The most frequently reported adverse events in
all groups (placebo and active treatment) included upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, headache, nausea, dyspepsia, and rash. The incidence of infections in
the active and placebo treatment groups was not significantly different and resulted in treatment withdrawal of
1.0% and 2.1% of the LEF-treated and MTX-treated
patients, respectively. No opportunistic infections were
reported.
Diarrhea was more prevalent in patients receiving LEF; 9.5% of patients receiving LEF withdrew from
treatment because of diarrhea. Oral ulcers were seen
Table 8.
Patients with liver enzyme elevations in the intent-to-treat population*
Measure, outcome
ALT
.23 ULN
Reversed to #23 ULN
Normalized to #1.23 ULN
Normalized without dose change
AST
.23 ULN
Reversed to #23 ULN
Normalized to #1.23 ULN
Leflunomide
(n 5 190)
Placebo
(n 5 128)
Methotrexate
(n 5 190)
24
24
22
13
5
5
5
3
19
18
15
8
17
17
17
4
4
4
15
13
13
* Elevations defined as .2 times the upper limit of normal (ULN). Values are the number of patients.
ALT 5 alanine aminotransferase; AST 5 aspartate aminotransferase.
TWO-YEAR TREATMENT OF RA WITH LEFLUNOMIDE
in the second and third year of treatment (including an
extension to this trial) in 2 LEF-treated patients at weeks
106 and 135, and in 1 MTX-treated patient at week 156. All
liver specimens were classified as Roegnik grades I–IIIA,
indicating no significant evidence of fibrosis.
Malignancies were reported in 5 LEF-treated, 3
placebo-treated, and 6 MTX-treated patients. One case
of vasculitis was reported in each active treatment group.
One case of interstitial pneumonitis and 1 reversible
renal failure were reported with MTX treatment.
DISCUSSION
Data from the second 12 months of this randomized, controlled, 24-month trial demonstrate that the
beneficial effects observed with LEF and MTX administration over 1 year of treatment are sustained over 2
years. Sustained improvements were observed in the
ACR $20%, $50%, and $70% response rates, in the
mean changes in individual components of the ACR
response criteria (including the MHAQ), in the HAQ
DI, PET, and SF-36 scores, and in the modified Sharp
scores comparing changes in radiographs from baseline
to those observed at 12 and 24 months.
As would be expected, the year-2 cohort included
a higher percentage of ACR $20% responders than did
the ITT population over 12 and 24 months because
patients doing well are more likely to continue treatment. In the year-2 cohort, improvements with LEF
treatment at 24 months were statistically significant
compared with MTX for ACR $20% responses, tender
joint count, patient-assessed pain, MHAQ scores, physician global assessment, morning stiffness, HAQ DI,
PET weighted top 5 score, and 3 of 8 domains of the
SF-36.
The mean changes in HAQ-DI scores from baseline to 12 and 24 months in the LEF-treated and
MTX-treated patients exceeded the 0.22 units reported
to represent minimum clinically important improvement
(13–15). This sustained improvement at 24 months is
important because previous studies have demonstrated
that worsening in the HAQ DI in the first 2 years of
disease resulted in significantly greater disability and
higher cost at 3 and 8 years of followup (16).
The sustained benefit of both LEF and MTX
treatment over 2 years of blinded treatment is further
supported by reports from 2 clinical trials conducted in
Europe. Kalden et al reported that the therapeutic effect
of LEF at 24 months was statistically significant compared with sulfasalazine by ACR $20%, $50%, and
$70% responses as well as by patient and physician
global assessments and mean HAQ scores (17). Radio-
1991
graphic data at 24 months from this comparative trial
demonstrated that the retardation of disease progression initially observed with LEF treatment at 6 months
was maintained over 12 and 24 months (3,17,18). Emery
et al reported similar 24-month findings in a large,
active-controlled trial of LEF and MTX. LEF or MTX
treatment resulted in sustained improvement in ACR
$20% and $50% responses, tender and swollen joint
counts, and the HAQ DI. ACR $20% and $50%
responses, which were statistically different between
treatments at 12 months, were statistically equivalent
between LEF and MTX at 24 months (4).
The safety profile after 24 months of treatment
with either LEF or MTX was similar to that reported
over 1 year of treatment (2). The most commonly
reported adverse events following both active treatments
included upper respiratory tract infections, which are
generally more common in RA subjects than in the
general population (19). As reported in the first 12
months of the trial (2), diarrhea, rash, and reversible
alopecia were most commonly associated with LEF
treatment; oral ulcers, nausea, and headache were more
common with MTX. The incidence of adverse events
commonly associated with LEF decreased in year 2
when compared with year 1 in the LEF group, as
demonstrated by the modest increase in reported adverse events over 24 months compared with the initial 12
months of the study (Table 6). Although alopecia was
reported more frequently in LEF-treated patients, more
MTX-treated patients withdrew early because of alopecia (5 MTX, 3 LEF). In addition, although diarrhea
occurred in 36.8% of LEF-treated patients, only 9.5% of
patients discontinued LEF due to the diarrhea.
ALT elevations were most sensitive to treatment
with either LEF or MTX. Although regular monitoring
of ALT or AST is required with both agents, approximately half of the elevations resolved without dose
reductions in either active treatment group. Close followup, as recommended by the protocol guidelines, did
not identify any cases of hepatocellular disease. Of 1,339
patients who received LEF in clinical trials, only 3
patients required liver biopsy as recommended by the
protocols. In addition, no significant fibrosis or cirrhosis
was observed. Although clinical hepatic toxicity was not
observed in the patients treated with LEF for 2 years in
this study, long-term followup through postmarketing
surveillance will be necessary to determine the clinical
significance of the elevated liver transaminase levels
observed in some LEF-treated patients.
Results in patients receiving LEF or MTX over 2
years of controlled treatment offer compelling evidence
that improvements evident at 12 months were sustained
1992
COHEN ET AL
at 24 months. These data are consistent with results from
other long-term studies of patients receiving MTX
monotherapy (20–23). The change in total Sharp scores
was equivalent between the 2 active treatments at 24
months and indicated that both agents retarded radiographic disease progression as compared with baseline
and 1-year scores (2,5). These benefits with LEF treatment were equivalent or statistically significantly superior to MTX, the current gold standard for treating RA.
These clinical trial results confirm that LEF is an
important first-line treatment for active RA, offering
improvement in the signs and symptoms of active disease
as early as 1 month into therapy, which is further
improved at 12 months and is sustained over 24 months
of administration. In addition, LEF also retards the
radiographic progression of disease over 24 months of
therapy. LEF is significantly more effective than MTX in
improving physical function and health-related quality
of life.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors acknowledge the assistance of Neil Malone, MA, Karen Simpson, MD, and Catherine Dorrier, MS, in
the development of this manuscript.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
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