Background: Baricitinib (BARI) provided rapid and sustained improvements in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) in patients (pts) with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inadequate responses (IR) to methotrexate (MTX) (RA-BEAM; NCT01710358)^1,2 and biologic DMARDs (bDMARD-IR; RA-BEACON; NCT01721044)^3,4.

Objectives: To determine the number needed to treat (NNT) to report improvements ≥minimum clinically important differences (MCIDs) in multiple PROs at Week (Wk) 12 after treatment with BARI 4-mg in RA-BEAM and BARI 2-mg or BARI 4-mg in RA-BEACON. NNTs ≤10 vs placebo (PBO) are considered clinically meaningful.

Methods: Evaluated PROs with respective MCID definitions included Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PtGA, 0-100 mm visual analog scale [VAS], MCID ≥10 mm), pain (0-100 mm VAS, MCID ≥10 mm), physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index, MCID ≥0.22 points), fatigue (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue [FACIT-F], MCID≥4.0), and health-related quality of life (SF-36 physical component summary [PCS: MCID ≥2.5] and domain scores: physical function [PF], role physical [RP], bodily pain [BP], general health [GH], vitality [VT], social functioning [SF], role emotional [RE], mental health [MH], MCID ≥5.0).⁵ The percentages of pts reporting improvements ≥MCID were determined at Wk 12. NNTs were calculated as 1/difference in response rates between BARI 2-mg or 4-mg and PBO.

Results: At Wk 12, percentages of pts reporting clinically meaningful improvements were greater and statistically different from PBO (p<0.01) with BARI 2-mg and 4-mg across most PROs in both RCTs. Most NNTs were ≤10. (Figure)

Conclusion: Across different populations, MTX-IR and bDMARD-IR pts with active RA reported clinically meaningful improvements in PROs after BARI treatment. The NNTs in these analyses indicate that <10 pts need to be treated with BARI 2- or 4-mg to report a clinically meaningful benefit.

References: [1]Taylor et al. NEJM, 2017;376: 652-62

[2]Keystone et al. Ann Rheum Dis, 2017;76:1853-61

[3]Genovese et al. NEJM, 2016; 374: 1243-52

[4]Smolen et al. Ann Rheum Dis, 2017; 76: 694-700

[5]Strand et al. J Rheumatol, 2011; 38: 1720-27

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Figure.

Percentages of patients reporting improvements ≥MCID with baricitinib vs placebo and associated NNTs for baricitinib in RA-BEAM and RA-BEACON. *p<0.05; **p<0.01; ***p<0.001. Abbreviations: BP, bodily pain; FACIT-F, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue; GH, general health; HAQ-DI, Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index; MCID, minimum clinically important difference; MH, mental health; NA, not applicable (ie, difference between treatment and placebo is not statistically significant, confidence interval of NNT is not calculated); NNT, numbers needed to treat; Pain, Patient’s assessment of pain; PCS, physical component score; PF, physical function; PtGA, Patient’s Global Assessment of Disease Activity; RE, role emotional; RP, role physical; SF-36, Short Form-36; SF, social functioning; VT, vitality

Disclosure of Interests: Vibeke Strand Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Celltrion, Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America, Crescendo Bioscience, Eli Lilly, Genentech/Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Hospira, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sanofi, UCB, Luna Sun Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Jorge Ross Terres Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Carol L. Kannowski Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company