scholarly journals Development and Application of the Placebo Response Model in Clinical Trials for Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZHI-Zhou Wang ◽  
Qing-Shan Zheng ◽  
Hong-Xia Liu ◽  
Lu-Jin Li

This study aimed to develop a placebo response model for pharmaceutical clinical trials of primary Sjogren’s syndrome,and to quantitatively analyze the distribution and related factors influencing the placebo response to further optimize the design of clinical trials and evaluate the results of single-arm clinical trials. Public databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for reports on randomized placebo-controlled trials for Sjögren’s syndrome which used the change from baseline in ESSDAI score as the primary outcome. The model-based meta-analysis method was used to evaluate the time course and the related influencing factors of the placebo response for ESSDAI in such clinical trials. A virtual placebo control group was constructed based on the final placebo response model to determine the treatment efficacy of belimumab and cyclosporine A for primary Sjögren’s syndrome in a single-arm study. A total of 12 studies involving 450 subjects were included in the analysis. The established model described the time-course characteristics of the changes in ESSDAI score from the baseline in the 48 weeks placebo group. We found that the onset time of placebo response was approximately 12 weeks, and its efficacy plateaued at 48 weeks. The baseline ESSDAI score had a significant effect on the maximum value of the placebo response; the maximum value of the placebo response decreased by 0.552 for every 1 score rise in the baseline ESSDAI score. The efficacy of belimumab and cyclosporine A in the single-arm trial was comparable to that of the placebo response at the same baseline; no significant therapeutic advantage was observed. The placebo response model established in this study could provide a basis for designing clinical trials for primary Sjogren’s syndrome in the future. It may also provide a reliable external efficacy control standard for single-arm clinical trials.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Han Chen ◽  
Xin Yu Wang ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
Zi Yang ◽  
Jianguang Xu

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune diseases of the connective tissues, characteristic of the presentation of keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia. A cardinal pathogenetic feature of SS is B-cell hyperactivity, which has invited efforts on optimal B-cell targeted therapy, whereas conventional corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are restricted to symptomatic relief. As per the first EULAR recommendation for pSS patients published in 2020, regimens with monoclonal antibodies targeting B cells may be initiated in patients with severe, refractory systemic disease, notably rituximab (RTX), a mouse-derived monoclonal antibody that targets CD20 antigen and contributes to B-cell depletion. Nonetheless, the data available from clinical trials with RTX are often controversial. Despite the lack of promising results from two large RCTs, several positive clinical efficacies were demonstrated. This current review addressed the efficacy and safety of clinical trials available and elucidated the potential of RTX on the immune system, especially B and T cells. Furthermore, plausible explanations for the discrepancy in clinical data were also presented.


F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 1532 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Leverenz ◽  
E. William St. Clair

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by salivary and lacrimal gland dysfunction, leading to substantial morbidity and reduced quality of life. Many patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome also have extraglandular systemic complications, some of which can be organ- or life-threatening. Over the last decade, numerous targeted immunomodulatory therapies for primary Sjögren’s syndrome have failed to show a benefit in clinical trials, and as yet no disease-modifying therapy has been approved for this disease. Herein, we provide an updated review of the clinical trial landscape for primary Sjögren’s syndrome and the numerous efforts to move the field forward, including the development of new classification criteria and outcome measures, the results of recent clinical trials in this field, the challenges faced in the search for effective therapies, and the expanding pipeline of novel therapies under development.


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