EVENT & POSTERS: EULAR CONFERENCE VIENNA, JUNE 12-15, 2024

EULAR Announcement

The “European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology” (EULAR) is one of the largest organizations of its kind worldwide, and holds one of the largest research conferences in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. This year, the conference takes place from June 12-15 in beautiful Vienna, with more than 18,000 participants from over 130 countries expected to attend EULAR Congress.

Two weeks from now (Friday, June 14, at 12:00 CEST), we will – with our esteemed colleagues from Formation Bio, NBCD, and CHL4special consulting – present a poster titled: “Unbiased Analysis of Knee Cartilage Thickness Change Over Three Years Post-Treatment with Sprifermin vs. Placebo – A Post-Hoc Analysis from the Phase II FORWARD Study”. #POS1083 will be displayed during the Poster Tour: “Clinical Studies in Osteoarthritis” (Room Poster View / Session VI).

Figure showing the quantitative change in cartilage thickness by MRI morphometry in the (total) femorotibial joint (TFTJ) during the treatment phase (baseline to Y2), and during the post-treatment period (Y2 to Y5). The readers were blinded to the relative temporal order of the MRIs for both periods: q12 = drug injected i.a. every 12 months, and q6 = every 6 months (up to 18 months), at dosages of 30 µg or 100 µg, respectively.

The FORWARD study (NCT01919164) is one of the first placebo controlled, randomized control trials (RCTs) that have clearly demonstrates an anabolic effect of a drug (Sprifermin) on joint structure in knee osteoarthritis, specifically cartilage thickness by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). And the first to include an extensive follow-up period of 3 years (Y) after a 2Y treatment period (Fig.). For a summary and “download area” of original publications related to Sprifermin, please visit the research section of our Webpage: Sprifermin Summaries > Exclusive Executive Summaries > The Sprifermin Program.

At EULAR 2024, we will present an unbiased analysis of the FORWARD post-treatment MRI data on articular cartilage thickness change, measured using quantitative morphometry by Chondrometrics 3.0 software. Expert readers were blinded to the temporal order of the MRI acquisitions acquired at Y2 and Y5. Our results demonstrate that the rates of cartilage thickness loss (slopes) during this period do not differ significantly between placebo and the various sprifermin dose groups (Fig.). Further, the difference in cartilage thickness seen at Y2 between sprifermin-treated participants and placebo is fully maintained up to Y5 (Fig.). The additional sprifermin-induced cartilage tissue present at the end of the treatment period is hence not lost at greater rates post-treatment than “normal” osteoarthritic cartilage of placebo participants. This supports the interpretation that cartilage tissue gained during anabolic treatment is biologically viable and mechanically competent post-treatment, warranting sustainable structural treatment effects on knee osteoarthritis for several years.

Join us on Friday, June 14, 2024, noon, for more data and lively discussions.