A Clinical Study of Tulisokibart (MK-7240) to Treat Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis (MK-7240-013)

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phasePhase 2
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-80
SponsorMerck Sharp & Dohme LLC

About this trial

Researchers are looking for new ways to treat radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA). R-axSpA is a type of arthritis that causes pain, stiffness, and inflammation (swelling) in the spine and joints in the pelvis (hip bone). Radiographic means the damage it causes can be seen on X-rays.

This study will help find out if a study medicine called tulisokibart can treat symptoms of r-axSpA. Researchers will look at different doses of tulisokibart.

Researchers want to know if at least one of the study doses of tulisokibart works better than a placebo to improve r-axSpA symptoms. A placebo looks like the study medicine but has no study medicine in it. Using a placebo helps researchers better understand the effects of the study medicine.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Has a clinical diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and meets the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) classification criteria for axSpA including ≥3 months of back pain with age at symptom onset <45 years

Meets the radiographic criterion of the modified New York criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as determined by central reading at Screening

Has active disease at Screening and Randomization

Has a history of inadequate response (IR)/intolerance to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and is biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD)-naive, or has a history of IR/intolerance to up to a maximum of 2 bDMARD classes

Disqualifiers

Has any arthritis with onset before age 17 years or current diagnosis of inflammatory joint disease other than radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) (such as, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), systemic sclerosis, myositis, etc.), or any other conditions that may, in the judgment of the investigator, interfere with the assessment of r-axSpA

Has a history of cancer (except fully treated non-melanoma skin cancers or cervical carcinoma in situ after complete surgical removal) within the last 5 years

Has any active infection

Has known allergies, hypersensitivity, or intolerance to tulisokibart or its excipients

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Tulisokibart

    Drug

    Subcutaneous (SC) administration

  • Placebo

    Drug

    SC administration

Treatment groups

315 Participants
are divided into 4 treatment groups
Group A: High-dose tulisokibartExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Medium-dose tulisokibartExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group C: Low-dose tulisokibartExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group D: PlaceboPlacebo comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Percentage of Participants Achieving Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) 40 Response at Week 16

ASAS 40 is defined as a relative improvement of ≥40% and an absolute improvement of ≥2 units from baseline in ≥3 of 4 domains, with no deterioration in the fourth domain. The 4 domains include Patient Global Assessment (PtGA), total spinal pain, physical function, and morning stiffness. Each domain is measured on a 10-point numeric scale from 0 = no disease symptoms/impact to 10 = extreme disease symptoms/impact, with a higher score indicating more severe impairment.

Time frame
Week 16

Secondary outcomes

1

Percentage of Participants Achieving Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) <2.1 at Week 16

ASDAS is a disease activity measure calculated from the assessments of total spinal pain, duration of morning stiffness, peripheral pain/swelling, PtGA, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as follows: 0.121 × total spinal pain (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index \[BASDAI\] question 2) + 0.110 × PtGA + 0.073 × peripheral pain/swelling (BASDAI question 3) + 0.058 × duration of morning stiffness (BASDAI question 6) + 0.579 × natural logarithm (ln) of (hsCRP + 1). ASDAS \<2.1 indicates low disease activity and a higher score indicates greater disease activity.

Time frame
Week 16
2

Change From Baseline in Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) at Week 16

The BASFI is a validated 10-item measure assessing individual-reported function (8 items) and ability to cope with everyday life (2 items) over the past week. Responses are recorded for each item on an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) from 0 "easy" to 10 "impossible". A mean score of the 10 items will be calculated to reflect the overall functional impairment, with higher scores indicating greater disability.

Time frame
Baseline and Week 16
3

Change From Baseline in the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Score for Spine at Week 16

The SPARCC MRI score for spine is a validated scoring system developed to assess inflammation in the spine related to axSpA. The 6 most abnormal discovertebral units are selected, and 3 consecutive sagittal slices are assessed. Each discovertebral unit is divided into 4 quadrants, scored as 1 if increased signal is present or 0 if normal, with a maximum of 12 points per discovertebral unit. Additional points are added for lesions that exhibit intense signal or deep (≥1 cm), increasing the maximum score per unit to 18. Summed over 6 slices, the maximum total score is 108. Higher scores indicate more extensive and/or intense spinal inflammation.

Time frame
Baseline and Week 16
4

Change From Baseline in the SPARCC MRI Score for Sacroiliac Joint (SIJ) at Week 16

The SPARCC MRI score for SIJ is a validated scoring system to assess SIJ inflammation in axSpA. Six consecutive SIJ coronal slice images are assessed by dividing into 4 quadrants and scored as 1 if increased signal is present or 0 if normal, with a maximum of 8 points per slice for both joints. Additional points are added for lesions that exhibit intense signal or deep (≥1 cm), increasing the maximum score per unit to 12. Summed over 6 slices, the maximum total score is 72. Higher scores indicate more extensive and/or intense SIJ inflammation.

Time frame
Baseline and Week 16

Other outcomes

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