A Study Comparing Upadacitinib (ABT-494) Monotherapy to Methotrexate (MTX) Monotherapy in Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Who Have an Inadequate Response to MTX (SELECT-MONOTHERAPY)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02706951 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : March 11, 2016
Results First Posted : October 7, 2019
Last Update Posted : September 15, 2022
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The study objective of Period 1 of this study is to compare the safety and efficacy (signs and symptoms) of upadacitinib 30 mg once daily (QD) alone and upadacitinib 15 mg QD alone versus continuing MTX alone adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with an inadequate response to MTX.
The study objective of Period 2 is to evaluate the long term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of upadacitinib 30 mg QD and 15 mg QD in adults with RA who had completed Period 1.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Rheumatoid Arthritis | Drug: Methotrexate Drug: Upadacitinib Drug: Placebo Upadacitinib Drug: Placebo Methotrexate | Phase 3 |
The study includes a 35-day screening period; a 14-week randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, controlled treatment period (Period 1); a 246-week blinded extension period (Period 2); and a 30-day follow-up visit.
Participants who met eligibility criteria were to be randomized in a 2:2:1:1 ratio to one of four treatment groups:
- Group 1: upadacitinib 30 mg QD (Period 1) → upadacitinib 30 mg QD (Period 2)
- Group 2: upadacitinib 15 mg QD (Period 1) → upadacitinib 15 mg QD (Period 2)
- Group 3: MTX (Period 1) → upadacitinib 30 mg QD (Period 2)
- Group 4: MTX (Period 1) → upadacitinib 15 mg QD (Period 2)
Starting with implementation of Protocol Amendment 5, all participants in the extension period will receive open-label upadacitinib 15 mg QD, including those currently on upadacitinib 30 mg QD.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 648 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind Study Comparing Upadacitinib (ABT-494) Monotherapy to Methotrexate (MTX) in Adults With Moderately to Severely Active Rheumatoid Arthritis With Inadequate Response to MTX |
Actual Study Start Date : | March 23, 2016 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | October 2, 2017 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | August 10, 2022 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Upadacitinib 30 mg
Period 1: Participants receive upadacitnib 30 mg once daily and placebo to methotrexate once weekly for 14 weeks. Period 2: Participants receive upadacitinib 30 mg once daily until implementation of Protocol Amendment 5 when participants begin to receive upadacitinib 15 mg once daily up to Week 260. |
Drug: Upadacitinib
Tablet; Oral
Other Names:
Drug: Placebo Methotrexate Capsule; Oral |
Experimental: Upadacitinib 15 mg
Period 1: Participants receive upadacitnib 15 mg once daily and placebo to methotrexate once weekly for 14 weeks. Period 2: Participants receive upadacitinib 15 mg once daily up to Week 260. |
Drug: Upadacitinib
Tablet; Oral
Other Names:
Drug: Placebo Methotrexate Capsule; Oral |
Experimental: Methotrexate / Upadacitinib 30 mg
Period 1: Participants receive methotrexate once weekly and placebo to upadacitinib once daily for 14 weeks. Period 2: Participants receive upadacitinib 30 mg once daily until implementation of Protocol Amendment 5 when participants begin to receive upadacitinib 15 mg once daily up to Week 260. |
Drug: Methotrexate
Capsule; Oral Drug: Upadacitinib Tablet; Oral
Other Names:
Drug: Placebo Upadacitinib Tablet; Oral Drug: Placebo Methotrexate Capsule; Oral |
Experimental: Methotrexate / Upadacitinib 15 mg
Period 1: Participants receive methotrexate once weekly and placebo to upadacitinib for 14 weeks. Period 2: Participants receive upadacitinib 15 mg once daily up to Week 260. |
Drug: Methotrexate
Capsule; Oral Drug: Upadacitinib Tablet; Oral
Other Names:
Drug: Placebo Upadacitinib Tablet; Oral Drug: Placebo Methotrexate Capsule; Oral |
- Percentage of Participants With an American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR20) Response at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Baseline and week 14 ]
The primary endpoint for United States (US)/Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory purposes was ACR 20% response (ACR20) at Week 14. Participants who met the following 3 conditions for improvement from baseline were classified as meeting the ACR20 response criteria:
- ≥ 20% improvement in 68-tender joint count;
- ≥ 20% improvement in 66-swollen joint count; and
-
≥ 20% improvement in at least 3 of the 5 following parameters:
- Physician global assessment of disease activity
- Patient global assessment of disease activity
- Patient assessment of pain
- Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disability Index (HAQ-DI)
- High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).
- Percentage of Participants Achieving Low Disease Activity (LDA) Based on DAS28(CRP) at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Week 14 ]
The primary endpoint for European Union (EU)/European Medicines Agency (EMA) regulatory purposes was low disease activity, based on a Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28)-CRP score of ≤ 3.2 at Week 14.
The DAS28 is a composite index used to assess rheumatoid arthritis disease activity, calculated based on the tender joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), swollen joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity (0-100 mm), and hsCRP (in mg/L). Scores on the DAS28 range from 0 to approximately 10, where higher scores indicate more disease activity.
A DAS28 score less than or equal to 3.2 indicates low disease activity.
- Change From Baseline in in Disease Activity Score 28 (CRP) at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Baseline to week 14 ]The DAS28 is a composite index used to assess rheumatoid arthritis disease activity, calculated based on the tender joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), swollen joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity (0-100 mm), and hsCRP (in mg/L). Scores on the DAS28 range from 0 to approximately 10, where higher scores indicate more disease activity. A negative change from baseline in DAS28 (CRP) indicates improvement in disease activity.
- Change From Baseline in Heath Assessment Questionnaire and Disability Index (HAQ-DI) at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Baseline to week 14 ]The Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disability Index is a patient-reported questionnaire that measures the degree of difficulty a person has in accomplishing tasks in 8 functional areas (dressing, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reaching, gripping, and errands and chores) over the past week. Participants assessed their ability to do each task on a scale from 0 (without any difficulty) to 3 (unable to do). Scores were averaged to provide an overall score ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 represents no disability and 3 represents very severe, high-dependency disability. A negative change from Baseline in the overall score indicates improvement.
- Change From Baseline in Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Physical Component Score (PCS) at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Baseline to week 14 ]
The Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) Version 2 is a self-administered questionnaire that measures the impact of disease on overall quality of life during the past 4 weeks. The SF-36 consists of 36 questions in eight domains (physical function, pain, general and mental health, vitality, social function, physical and emotional health).
The physical component score is a weighted combination of the 8 subscales with positive weighting for physical functioning, role-physical, bodily pain, and general health. The PCS was calculated using norm-based scoring so that 50 is the average score and the standard deviation equals 10. Higher scores are associated with better functioning/quality of life; a positive change from baseline score indicates an improvement.
- Percentage of Participants Achieving Clinical Remission (CR) Based on DAS28(CRP) at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Week 14 ]
The DAS28 is a composite index used to assess rheumatoid arthritis disease activity, calculated based on the tender joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), swollen joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity (0-100 mm), and hsCRP (in mg/L). Scores on the DAS28 range from 0 to approximately 10, where higher scores indicate more disease activity.
A DAS28 score less than 2.6 indicates clinical remission.
- Change From Baseline in Duration of Morning Stiffness at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Baseline to week 14 ]Participants were asked to indicate the time it took for them to get as limber as possible after awakening with morning stiffness over the past 7 days. A negative change from Baseline indicates improvement.
- Percentage of Participants With an American College of Rheumatology 50% (ACR50) Response at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Baseline and week 14 ]
Participants who met the following 3 conditions for improvement from baseline were classified as meeting the ACR50 response criteria:
- ≥ 50% improvement in 68-tender joint count;
- ≥ 50% improvement in 66-swollen joint count; and
-
≥ 50% improvement in at least 3 of the 5 following parameters:
- Physician global assessment of disease activity
- Patient global assessment of disease activity
- Patient assessment of pain
- Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disability Index (HAQ-DI)
- High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).
- Percentage of Participants With an American College of Rheumatology 70% (ACR70) Response at Week 14 [ Time Frame: Baseline and week 14 ]
Participants who met the following 3 conditions for improvement from baseline were classified as meeting the ACR50 response criteria:
- ≥ 70% improvement in 68-tender joint count;
- ≥ 70% improvement in 66-swollen joint count; and
-
≥ 70% improvement in at least 3 of the 5 following parameters:
- Physician global assessment of disease activity
- Patient global assessment of disease activity
- Patient assessment of pain
- Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disability Index (HAQ-DI)
- High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 99 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of RA for >= 3 months.
- Subjects must have been on oral or parenteral MTX therapy >= 3 months and on a stable dose for >= 4 weeks prior to first dose of study drug.
- Must have discontinued all conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) (other than MTX) >= 4 weeks prior to first dose of study drug.
- Meets the following minimum disease activity criteria: >= 6 swollen joints (based on 66 joint counts) and >= 6 tender joints (based on 68 joint counts) at Screening and Baseline Visits.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Prior exposure to any Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor (including but not limited to tofacitinib, baricitinib, and filgotinib).
- Prior exposure to any biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs).
- Current diagnosis of inflammatory joint disease other than RA. Current diagnosis of secondary Sjogren's Syndrome is permitted.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT02706951

Study Director: | AbbVie Inc. | AbbVie |
Documents provided by AbbVie:
Publications:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | AbbVie |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT02706951 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
M15-555 2015-003376-75 ( EudraCT Number ) |
First Posted: | March 11, 2016 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | October 7, 2019 |
Last Update Posted: | September 15, 2022 |
Last Verified: | August 2022 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Yes |
Plan Description: | AbbVie is committed to responsible data sharing regarding the clinical trials we sponsor. This includes access to anonymized, individual and trial-level data (analysis data sets), as well as other information (e.g., protocols and clinical study reports), as long as the trials are not part of an ongoing or planned regulatory submission. This includes requests for clinical trial data for unlicensed products and indications. |
Supporting Materials: |
Study Protocol Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP) Clinical Study Report (CSR) Analytic Code |
Time Frame: | Data requests can be submitted at any time and the data will be accessible for 12 months, with possible extensions considered. |
Access Criteria: | Access to this clinical trial data can be requested by any qualified researchers who engage in rigorous, independent scientific research, and will be provided following review and approval of a research proposal and Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP) and execution of a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA). For more information on the process, or to submit a request, visit the following link. |
URL: | https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/clinical-trials/clinical-trials-data-and-information-sharing/data-and-information-sharing-with-qualified-researchers.html |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Product Manufactured in and Exported from the U.S.: | No |
Musculoskeletal Disease Arthritis Joint Disease Anti-inflammatory agents |
Antirheumatic agents Upadacitinib ABT-494 |
Arthritis Arthritis, Rheumatoid Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic Diseases Connective Tissue Diseases Autoimmune Diseases Immune System Diseases Methotrexate Upadacitinib Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal Abortifacient Agents Reproductive Control Agents Physiological Effects of Drugs |
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic Antimetabolites Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antineoplastic Agents Dermatologic Agents Enzyme Inhibitors Folic Acid Antagonists Immunosuppressive Agents Immunologic Factors Antirheumatic Agents Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors Janus Kinase Inhibitors Protein Kinase Inhibitors |