Mieras, Kathleen

ObjectiveTo evaluate the reasons that complete remission is not achieved or maintained with original treatment in some patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV) treated with rituximab (RTX) or with cyclophosphamide/azathioprine (CYC/AZA).MethodsThe Rituximab in AAV trial was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial comparing the rate of remission induction among patients treated with RTX (n = 99) and patients treated with CYC followed by AZA (n = 98). Glucocorticoids were tapered over a period of 5 months. The primary outcome measure was lack of disease activity without glucocorticoid treatment at 6 months. To determine the most important reason for failure to achieve the primary outcome, 7 hierarchical categories of reasons were defined retrospectively (uncontrolled disease, adverse event leading to therapy discontinuation, severe flare, limited flare, Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score for Wegener's Granulomatosis >0, prednisone treatment at any dosage, and other).ResultsAlthough remission (lack of disease activity) was achieved in 170 of the 197 patients (86%) in the first 6 months, the primary outcome measure was not achieved in 42%. There were 3 deaths. Twenty‐four percent of the patients failed to achieve the primary end point due to active disease: 10 (5%) experienced uncontrolled disease in the first month and 37 (19%) experienced flares after initial improvement. In the majority of such patients, treatment with blinded crossover or according to best medical judgment led to disease control. Ninety‐one percent of patients who had uncontrolled disease or experienced a severe flare had proteinase 3 (PR3)–ANCA. When patients with uncontrolled disease were excluded from analysis, those who were PR3‐ANCA positive were found to experience fewer flares when treated with RTX compared to CYC/AZA (8 of 59 [14%] versus 20 of 62 [32%]; P = 0.02). Neither ANCA titers nor B cell counts predicted disease flare.ConclusionCurrent treatment regimens are largely successful in controlling AAV, but in approximately one‐fourth of patients, active disease persists or recurs in the first 6 months despite treatment. PR3‐ANCA positivity is a risk factor for recurrence or persistence of severe disease. ANCA titers and B cell detectability are poor predictors of both disease relapse and disease quiescence in the first 6 months.

Abstract Rationale Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease with no known efficacious therapy. Imatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potential efficacy to treat fibrotic lung disease. Objectives To investigate the safety and clinical effects of imatinib in patients with IPF. Methods We studied 119 patients in an investigator-initiated, multicenter, multinational, double-blind clinical trial to receive imatinib or placebo for 96 weeks. Measurements and Main Results Over 96 weeks of follow-up, imatinib did not differ significantly from placebo (log rank P = 0.89) for the primary endpoint defined as time to disease progression (10% decline in percent predicted FVC from baseline) or time to death. There was no effect of imatinib therapy on change in FVC at 48, 72, or 96 weeks (P ≥ 0.39 at all time points) or change in diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide at 48, 72, or 96 weeks (P ≥ 0.26 at all time points). Change in resting PaO2 favored imatinib therapy at 48 weeks (P = 0.005) but not at 96 weeks (P = 0.074). During the 96-week trial there were 8 deaths in the imatinib group and 10 deaths in the placebo group (log rank test P = 0.64). Thirty-five (29%) patients discontinued the study without reaching the primary endpoint (imatinib, 32%; placebo, 27%; P = 0.51). Serious adverse events (SAEs) were not more common in the imatinib group (imatinib, 18 SAEs in 17 patients; placebo, 19 SAEs in 18 patients). Conclusions In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of patients with mild to moderate IPF followed for 96 weeks, imatinib did not affect survival or lung function. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00131274).