Arthritis clinical trials at UCLA

The 2021 ACR RA treatment guideline, based on widely acknowledged low to moderate quality evidence, recommends switching to a non-tumor necrosis factor (TNFi) biologic (choose among existing medications, currently, rituximab, abatacept, tocilizumab, or sarilumab) or a targeted synthetic DMARD arm (tsDMARD; choose among existing medications, currently, tofacitinib, baricitinib, upadacitinib) in patients with active RA despite the use of a TNFi-biologic. In practice, most patients receive another TNFi-biologic, i.e., a second TNFi-biologic first. This is not based on solid evidence, but on arbitrary algorithms often proposed by health insurance plans, and/or physician experience and habit (TNFis launched 22 yrs ago vs. the first tsDMARD 8 years ago vs. first non-TNF-biologic launched 17 years ago). This study will fill a critical knowledge gap by generating CER data for important PROs between these treatment options, switching to a non-TNFi biologic or a tsDMARD in patients with active RA despite the use of a TNFi-biologic.

The study will randomly assign Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients on stable RA therapy to either placebo or cannabidiol (CBD). The overall goal of this proposal is to examine the efficacy and safety of CBD treatment as adjunctive to the medical management of RA patients.

This is a Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) study. The purpose of this research study is to determine in RA flare, whether musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) inflammatory scores and/or disease activity scores improve with Acthar treatment.

The study design is a randomized, open-label, clinical trial of omadacycline vs Standard of Care (SOC) antibiotics for bone and join infection (BJI) treatment. Study participants will have their BJI regimen chosen by their treating physicians, (typically Infectious Diseases for hardware and prosthetic joint infections, or multidisciplinary Limb Salvage team for diabetic foot infections) prior to enrollment. Then participants will be randomized to an omadacycline-containing regimen versus the a priori chosen SOC regimen. Participants must require between 4 and 12 weeks of therapy for their BJI. The exact duration of therapy will be decided by the participants' treating physician. At 12 weeks, if the treating physician wishes to extend therapy, participants receiving omadacycline will be transitioned to other SOC antibiotics. Once enrolled, participants will be followed via in-person clinic visits at the following intervals: weeks 0, 2, 4, 8, and 12. A final in-person visit will occur 2 weeks post-treatment completion. A phone survey will occur 3 months post-treatment completion. Participants in the SOC group will follow the same schedule. Oral once-daily dosing options for S. aureus and Coagulase negative Staphylococcus are essentially non-existent. Thus, omadacycline possesses a novel and advantageous option for BJI treatment. Its convenient dosing regimen will almost certainly be associated with improved adherence, and higher adherence may, in turn, improve clinical outcome. Investigators hypothesize that omadacycline will be a well-tolerated and efficacious oral antibiotic for BJIs and will be associated with improved adherence compared with standard of care oral antibiotics. Investigators believe omadacycline addresses the unmet need for an oral antibiotic that is well-tolerated and efficacious for use as a prolonged therapy for BJIs. To this aim, investigators will perform a randomized, open-label clinical trial of omadacycline to SOC antibiotics for BJIs.

This is a prospective, observational study of patients presenting to the emergency departments at 9 EMERGEncy ID NET sites. The objectives of the proposed study are to: 1. Describe the range and proportion of infectious agents in synovial fluid as detected by standard C&S and investigational PCR testing, i.e., Biofire® Film Array® Bone and Joint Infection (BJI) Panel, 2. Describe the epidemiology of patients receiving diagnostic arthrocentesis and those diagnosed with septic arthritis in the emergency department (ED), 3. Determine the prevalence of septic arthritis in US ED patients presenting with an atraumatic painful swollen joint, and 4. Determine the clinical (history and physical examination) and laboratory characteristics of septic arthritis. Study coordinators screen the ED log for adult patients presenting with joint pain and whose treating physician ordered an arthrocentesis. After confirming eligibility, study coordinators approach the patient to explain the study, and present the written consent form. If the patient agrees to participate and consent, the study coordinator completes an enrollment data collection using patient and treating physician interview to gather responses. After enrollment, the study coordinator will ensure that approximately 0.3-1.0 mL of leftover synovial fluid is saved and stored in a freezer for shipment to a central laboratory (Truman Medical Center hospital laboratory, Kansas City, MO) for testing. Approximately 30 days after enrollment, study coordinators complete an electronic medical record (EMR) review.