REMission INDuction in Very Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in remission with a combination of TNFinhibitors (TNFi) and methotrexate (MTX) often express their wish to stop MTX treatment because of side effects. Given the efficacy of TNFi it is conceivable that in early RA patients in remission with methotrexate (MTX)/TNFi stepwise discontinuation of MTX prior to TNFi is superior in maintaining sustained remission and reaching drug free remission as compared to discontinuation of TNFi prior to MTX. Objective: To investigate whether tapering MTX first, then the TNFi golimumab (GOL), is more efficacious than tapering GOL first, then MTX, in sustaining remission and reaching drug free remission. Study design: multicenter, open label clinical trial in very early RA patients. Remission will be induced by an open label treat-to-target (T2T) remission induction protocol in clinical care: (MTX, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), i.m. glucocorticoids (GC), and, if not in remission, the TNFi golimumab (GOL)) (phase I, 3/4th or 1 year). Patients in sustained remission on MTX/GOL (DAS28\<2.6 with max 4 swollen joints of the 44 swollen joint count (SJC) at 2 consecutive visits 3 months apart) will be randomized to taper either MTX first, then GOL or GOL first, then MTX with as primary endpoint sustained (drug free) remission (phase II, 1 year). During 1 year additional follow-up maintenance of drug-free sustained remission will be investigated (phase III). Study population: RA patients fulfilling 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/EUropean League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria for RA, with symptom duration \<12 months; naïve for anti-rheumatic drugs and glucocorticoids for RA; DAS28 ≥3.2. Intervention: Patients in sustained remission (defined as DAS28\<2.6 with max 4 swollen joints of the 44SJC at ≥ 2 consecutive visits 3 months apart) on MTX/GOL at the end of phase I (after 24 weeks of treatment with MTX/GOL) will be randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to taper medication as follows: * Taper and stop