Effects of Intravenous Golimumab on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: 28-Week Results of the GO-ALIVE Trial

Objective: Evaluate the effect of intravenous golimumab on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through week 28 of the phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled GO-ALIVE study.

Methods: Adult patients (n = 208) were randomized to IV golimumab 2 mg/kg (n = 105) at weeks 0, 4, and 12 and every 8 weeks or placebo (n = 103) at weeks 0, 4, and 12, with crossover to golimumab 2mg/kg at weeks 16, 20, and every 8 weeks. General HRQoL was evaluated using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) Physical Component Summary/Mental Component Summary (PCS/MCS), and the EQ VAS, and AS disease-specific HRQoL was assessed using the Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) instrument.

Results: Mean improvements from baseline in SF-36 PCS were greater in the golimumab group versus the placebo group at weeks 8 and 16 (6.8 vs 2.1 and 8.5 vs 2.9, respectively; P < .001); similar results were observed for SF-36 MCS (5.6 vs 1.7 and 6.5 vs 0.8, respectively; P < .001). Mean improvement in each of 8 subscale scores of the SF-36 were also greater for golimumab-treated patients versus placebo at weeks 8 and 16. Mean improvements in EQ VAS and ASQoL were greater in the golimumab group versus placebo at week 8 and week 16. Greater proportions of golimumab-treated patients had clinically meaningful improvement in SF-36 PCS, SF-36 MCS, EQ VAS, and ASQoL at weeks 8 and 16; improvements in SF-36 PCS/MCS, EQ VAS, and ASQoL were maintained through week 28.

Conclusions: Golimumab-treated patients had greater mean improvements in HRQoL measures compared with placebo through week 16. Clinically meaningful improvements were observed as early as week 8 and continued through week 28.