ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT04798755Co-THEIAUpdated Sep 21, 2023

Efficacy, Safety and Costs of Methotrexate, Adalimumab, or Their Combination in Non-infectious Non-anterior Uveitis

A Phase 3 interventional study of Methotrexate and Adalimumab in Uveitis, sponsored by Hospital San Carlos, Madrid. Recruiting at 14 sites in Spain. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-09-21.

Sponsored by Hospital San Carlos, Madrid · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Oct 2024, 2 years 1 month ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Jan 2022; still recruiting 4 years 9 months later.
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
192
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Introduction: Non-infectious uveitis (NIUs) include a heterogeneous group of sight-threatening conditions. NIUs can be highly disabling and be associated with a profound impact in the quality-of-life (QoL) and wellbeing. Their correct management sometimes requires the use of immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs), which can be prescribed in monotherapy or in combination. Several observational studies have provided evidence that the use of ISDs in combination could be more effective than and as safe as their use in monotherapy. However, a direct comparison between these two treatment strategies has not been carried out yet.

Methods and analysis: The Combination THerapy with mEthotrexate and adalImumAb for uveitis (CoTHEIA) study is a phase III, multicenter, prospective, randomized, single-blinded with masked outcome assessment, parallel three arms with 1:1:1 allocation, active-controlled, superiority study design, comparing the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of methotrexate (MTX), adalimumab (ADA), or their combination in non-infectious non-anterior uveitis. The duration of the treatment and follow-up will last up to 52 weeks. The complete and maintained resolution of the ocular inflammation will be assessed by masked evaluators (primary outcome). In addition to other secundray measures of efficacy (QoL, visual acuity, costs) and safety, we will identify subjects' subgroups with different treatment responses by developing prediction models based on machine learning techniques using genetic and proteomic biomarkers.

02

Conditions studied

  • Uveitis

Browse trials for

03

In context

Uveitis

299 studies on the registry are indexed under Uveitis; 32 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 192 is above the median of 30 across 175 interventional studies indexed under Uveitis.

Browse Uveitis studies →

Lead sponsor

Hospital San Carlos, Madrid is the lead sponsor of 74 studies on the registry; 17 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Subjects diagnosed with non-infectious intermediate-, posterior-, or pan-uveitis in at least one eye;
  2. Adult patients (≥18 years);
  3. Subjects with at least one flare of active eye inflammation in the previous 180 days before Baseline visit, defined by the presence of at least 1 of the following parameters in either eye:

    1. Active chorioretinal or retinal vascular lesion, AND/OR
    2. Presence of macular edema by optical coherence tomography (OCT:thickness >350 μm AND cysts or intraretinal fluid), AND/OR
    3. ≥ 2+ anterior chamber cells (ACC; SUN criteria4) , AND/OR
    4. ≥ 2+ vitreous haze (National Eye Institute [NEI]113/SUN criteria4).
  4. Subjects with active eye inflammation at Baseline visit, defined by the presence of at least 1 of the following parameters in either eye:

    1. Active chorioretinal or retinal vascular lesion, AND/OR
    2. Presence of macular edema by OCT (thickness >350 μm AND cysts or intraretinal fluid), AND/OR
    3. ≥ 1+ ACC, AND/OR
    4. ≥ 1+ vitreous haze.
  5. Subjects meeting at least ONE of the following criteria:

    1. Subjects with known chronic condition necessitating GCs-sparing treatment: Behçet's disease with posterior segment involvement, multifocal choroiditis with panuveitis, serpiginous choroidopathy, birdshot retinochoroidopathy, diffuse retinal vasculitis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada with bullous serous retinal and/or choroidal detachments, sympathetic ophthalmia. No prior therapy is required for these patients. AND/OR
    2. Subjects with registered local/systemic uveitis in the previous 180 months before Baseline visit, defined as:

      • Presence of active inflammation after 4 weeks of high-dose (1mg/kg prednisone equivalent) corticosteroid treatment, resulting in an incomplete response (there was an amelioration, but there is still inflammation); AND/OR, Presence of active inflammation 4 weeks after a regional corticosteroid injection; AND/OR,
      • Treatment with oral corticosteroids resulting in a reduction of inflammation, followed by relapse [increase in ≥1 grade in ACC or vitreous haze or a change of non-active to active lesions (including chorioretinal or retinal vascular lesion and/or macular edema)] when GCs was tapered; AND/OR,
      • Presence of active inflammation after a long-acting corticosteroid intramuscular injection administered between 4 weeks to 180 days before the Baseline visit); AND/OR, Active inflammation after treatment with >10mg/day oral prednisone for at least the past 90 days before Baseline.
  6. If female, subject is:

    1. Not of : at least 1 year or more since the final menstrual period or surgically sterile (bilateral tubal ligation, bilateral oophorectomy or hysterectomy);
    2. Of childbearing potential and willing to use an acceptable method of during the study period (i.e. pharmacologics, devices, barrier methods) or abstinence, and for 150 days after the last dose of study drugs;
    3. Not pregnant or breastfeeding
  7. Subject has a negative tuberculosis skin test (PPD test or equivalent) and nonpathological Chest X-ray (CXR; Posterior-anterior and lateral view) at Screening or in the previous 90 days before Baseline visit. If the subject has a positive PPD test (or equivalent), has had a past ulcerative reaction to PPD placement and/or a CXR consistent with prior tuberculosis (TB) exposure, the subject must initiate, be currently receiving or have documented completion of a course of prophylactic anti-TB therapy
  8. Subjects able and willing to provide written and to comply with the study protocol.
  9. Do not participate in another clinical trial.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Subjects with confirmed or suspected infectious uveitis, including ocular histoplasmosis syndrome
  2. Subjects with previous intolerability, safety issues according to investigator criteria, AND/OR previous failure to control ocular or other inflammation with MTX
  3. Subjects with previous exposure to any biological therapy at any time (excluding intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor [anti-VEGF] therapy and denosumab), including those with that have a potential or known association with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (i.e. natalizumab, rituximab or efalizumab);
  4. Subjects with previous exposure to synthetic therapy (such as mycophenolate or cyclosporine) other than in the past 6 months before Baseline;
  5. Subjects with chronic structural eye damage considered by the Site's

Investigator to:

a. Interfere with the measurement of any of the study outcomes, AND/OR b. Cause eye damage regardless of the inflammatory process, AND/OR c. Prevent the normalization of the eye structures; 6. Chronic hypotony (IOP \< 5 mm Hg for in the last 3 months and/or in the baseline visit) in both eyes; 7. Subjects receiving local GCs 8. Subjects receiving intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy 9. Subjects with a history of prior intraocular surgery within 30 days prior to the Baseline visit, AND/OR any planned eye surgery within the next 52 weeks from Baseline Visit 10. Subjects with best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) worse than 20/400 (ETDRS logMAR > 1.34) in the better eye during the screening or at Baseline visit 11. Subjects with active considered by the Site's Investigator, including lymphoma, leukemia, non-melanoma skin cancer, and confirmed or suspected ocular masquerade syndromes 12. Subjects with systemic disease or ocular condition (besides uveitis) anticipated to dictate treatment course, as considered by the Site's Investigator 14. Subjects with systemic active or chronic recurring infections, such as active TB, syphilis, or or C, at Screening visit or in the previous 90 days before Baseline visit; AND/OR a history of invasive infection (e.g., listeriosisand histoplasmosis); 15. Subjects with history of moderate to severe congestive heart failure ( class III or IV), recent cerebrovascular accident (6 months) and any other condition which, in the opinion of the Site's Investigator, would put the subject at risk by participation in the study 16. Subjects with abnormal screening laboratory results as evaluated by the Site's Investigator (at screening/baseline or in the previous4 weeks).

  1. Central nervous system demyelinating disease
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(11)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Relapsed and refractory

Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.

Childbearing potential

Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).

Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

NYHA class (heart failure)

The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.

I
No limits: ordinary activity causes no undue tiredness or breathlessness.
II
Slight limits: comfortable at rest, ordinary activity causes symptoms.
III
Marked limits: comfortable at rest, less than ordinary activity causes symptoms.
IV
Symptoms even at rest; any activity makes them worse.

Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
192 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Adalimumab

    Drug: Adalimumab

  • Active comparator
    Methotrexate

    Drug: Methotrexate

  • Experimental
    Adalimumab+Methotrexate

    Drug: Adalimumab+Methotrexate

Interventions

  • Inicial dose 15mg/week increasing up to 25 mg/week

  • At the Baselin visit adalimumab 80 mg subcutaneous loading dose followed a week later by 40 mg every-other-week starting at Week 1.

  • DrugAdalimumab+Methotrexate

    Drug pages: Adalimumab · Methotrexate

    Adalimumab: at the Baseline visit 80 mg subcutaneous loading dose followed a week later by 40 mg every-other-week starting at Week 1. Methotrexate:Inicial dose 15mg/week increasing up to 25 mg/week

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Good Clinical Response

    Complete resolution of the ocular inflammatory signs, achieved within the first 16 weeks of the study, and maintained until week 52; no treatment failure due to safety or intolerability.

    Time frame: 52 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Good Clinical Response

    Complete resolution of the ocular inflammatory signs, achieved within the first 16 weeks of the study, and maintained until week 52; no treatment failure due to safety or intolerability.

    Time frame: week 16

  2. EuroQol-5D at each study visit

    We will use the EuroQol-5D (0-100, the higher the better quality of life) to compare the change in health-related quality of life between treatment strategies.

    Time frame: Baseline, weeks 16 and 52.

  3. Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25)

    We will use the VFQ-25 (0-100, the higher the better quality of life) to compare the change in visual-related quality of life between treatment strategies

    Time frame: Baseline, weeks 16 and 52.

  4. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS

    We will use the HADS (0-21 for either anxiety or depression, the higher the more severe anxiety/depression symptoms) to compare the change in anxiety and depression sympthoms between treatment strategies quality of life, anxiety and depression) between treatment strategies

    Time frame: Baseline, weeks 16 and 52.

  5. Clinical components of the Good Clinical Response variable

    Presence of non active chorioretinal lesions; active retinal vascular inflammation; macular edema; ACC; vitreous haze; and loss of CVA secondary to inflammation

    Time frame: Baseline, weeks 16 and 52.

  6. Time to inflammatory relapse.

    time from visit 16 weeks until end of the study, loss of follow-up or appearance of at least one ocular inflammatory manifestation, in those individuals achieving a Good Clinical Response.

    Time frame: week 16.

  7. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA)

    We will use the BCVA between treatment strategies

    Time frame: Baseline, weeks 16 and 52.

  8. Anti-ADA antibodies (AAA).

    Presence of anti-ADA antibodies (AAA) in subjects receiving this study drug.

    Time frame: Weeks 15, 27 and 51.

  9. Cost-efficacy

    Direct and indirect cost, and Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratios

    Time frame: Week 52.

  10. Safety: adverse events.

    Ocurrence of adverse events.

    Time frame: Baseline, weeks 16 and 52.

07

Study locations

7 of 14 sites recruiting
  • Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña
    A Coruña, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • JOSE A PINTO TASENDE · Contact
  • Hospital General Universitario de Alicante
    Alicante, Spain
    Recruiting
    • MARIA DE LA VEGA JOVANI CASANO · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario Cruces
    Baracaldo, Spain
    Recruiting
    • ALEJANDRO FONOLLOSA CALDUCH · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín
    Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • FELIX M FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ · Contact
  • Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León
    León, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • MIGUEL CORDERO COMA · Contact
  • Hospital Clínico San Carlos
    Madrid, Spain
    Recruiting
    • Luis Rodriguez Rodriguez · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre
    Madrid, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • ALFREDO JAVIER GARCIA GONZALEZ · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz
    Madrid, Spain
    Recruiting
    • ESTER CARREÑO SALAS · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor
    Madrid, Spain
    Recruiting
    • LETICIA LOJO OLIVEIRA · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario La Paz
    Madrid, Spain
    Recruiting
    • MARIA DIANA PEITEADO LOPEZ · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario Infanta Sofía
    San Sebastián De Los Reyes, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • SANTIAGO MUÑOZ FERNANDEZ · Contact
  • Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Canarias
    Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • MARIA BEATRIZ RODRIGUEZ LOZANO · Contact
  • Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset
    Valencia, Spain
    Recruiting
    • LUCIA MARTINEZ-COSTA PEREZ · Contact
  • Instituto Universitario de Oftalmología Aplicada
    Valladolid, Spain
    Not yet recruiting
    • LIDIA COCHO ARCHILES · Contact
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Rivas AB, Lopez-Picado A, Calamia V, Carreno E, Cocho L, Cordero-Coma M, Fonollosa A, Francisco Hernandez FM, Garcia-Aparicio A, Garcia-Gonzalez J, Mondejar JJ, Lojo-Oliveira L, Martinez-Costa L, Munoz S, Peiteado D, Pinto JA, Rodriguez-Lozano B, Pato E, Diaz-Valle D, Molina E, Tebar LA, Rodriguez-Rodriguez L; CoTHEIA Study Group. Efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of methotrexate, adalimumab or their combination in non-infectious non-anterior uveitis: a protocol for a multicentre, randomised, parallel three arms, active-controlled, phase III open label with blinded outcome assessment study. BMJ Open. 2022 Mar 22;12(3):e051378. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051378. PubMed 35318229 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — Data obtained through this study may be provided to qualified researchers with academic interest in uveitis. Data or samples shared will be coded, and donated to a Registered Biobank and made available under legal requirement. Approval of the request and execution of all applicable agreements are prerequisites to the sharing of data with the requesting party. Regarding dissemination, in order to communicate the clinical trial progress and findings to a broad group of stakeholders, we will elaborate a Dissemination plan which will include production of materials adapted to scientific meetings, scientific publications, patients, and other stakeholders. A summary of the final version of the study protocol will be made available through the Spanish Clinical Trial Registry (REEC) and Clinicaltrials.gov database. The promoter will be the only with access to the participant-level data, following the regulation on data protection.

Supporting information: Study protocol, Informed consent form, Clinical study report

Time frame: Data requests can be submitted starting 9 months after article publication and the data will be made accessible for up to 24 months. Extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Access criteria: Access to trial IPD can be requested by qualified researchers engaging in 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).

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 21, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04798755
Lead sponsor
Hospital San Carlos, Madrid
Responsible party
Luis Rodriguez Rodriguez (Principal Investigator, Hospital San Carlos, Madrid) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 15, 2021
Start date
Jan 12, 2022
Primary completion
Oct 1, 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Oct 1, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 21, 2023

Study contacts

Luis Rodriguez Rodriguez
Contact
lrrodriguez@salud.madrid.org
+0034-91330300 ext. 7560
Luis Rodriguez Rodriguez
principal investigator · Fundación para la Investigacion Biomédica del Hospital Clínico San Carlos

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drugs tested here: Adalimumab · Methotrexate

Start the discussion