Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies are an independent factor associated with an insufficient response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the significance of anti-Ro/SSA antibodies (anti-Ro) in the clinical response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS: The clinical responses of a cohort of 190 patients with RA who were treated with infliximab, etanercept, or adalimumab (n = 112, 64, and 14, respectively) as the first biologics were examined using the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) at 24 weeks and the discontinuation rate at 56 weeks. The baseline characteristics of responders and the nonresponders were compared. The clinical response was compared between anti-Ro-negative and -positive patients. The factors associated with the inefficiency of TNF inhibitors were estimated with a multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: The positive rate of anti-Ro was significantly higher in patients with no European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response at 24 weeks (OR 3.64, 95% CI 1.45-9.01, p = 0.003). In anti-Ro-positive patients, a moderate or good EULAR response rate was significantly lower with a sustaining higher median DAS28 (p = 0.006), and this difference was greater among infliximab-treated patients. The discontinuation rate for TNF inhibitors due to inefficacy at 56 weeks was also higher in anti-Ro-positive patients (OR 4.68, 95% CI 1.82-11.99, p = 0.0005), and 75% of these patients received infliximab. The presence of anti-Ro was strongly associated with no EULAR response at 24 weeks and a higher discontinuation rate of TNF inhibitors by 56 weeks (OR 5.22, 95% CI 1.75-15.57, p = 0.003 and OR 10.18, 95% CI 2.18-49.56, p = 0.003).

CONCLUSION: The presence of anti-Ro might be related to the lesser clinical response to infliximab compared to other TNF inhibitors, suggesting that the presence of anti-Ro should be considered when choosing the appropriate biologics for patients with RA.