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Arthritis, RheumatoidPhase 2NCT04991753

A Proof-of-concept Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Nipocalimab in Participants With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis

A Phase 2 study testing Nipocalimab in people with Arthritis, Rheumatoid, run by Janssen Research & Development, LLC at 28 sites in 5 countries.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nipocalimab versus placebo in participants with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Arthritis, Rheumatoid
What is being tested?
Nipocalimab
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
53 participants
Where
28 sitesin 5 countries
Study dates
14 Oct 2021to 10 Aug 2022
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and meeting the 2010 American college of rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria for RA for at least 3 months before screening
  • Has moderate to severe active RA as defined by persistent disease activity with at least 6 swollen and 6 tender joints out of the 66/68-swollen and tender joint count at the time of screening and at baseline
  • Is positive for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and/or rheumatoid factor (RF) at screening
  • Screening C-reactive protein (CRP) greater than or equal to (>=) 0.3 milligram per deciliter (mg/dL) by the central laboratory
  • A woman of childbearing potential must have a negative highly sensitive urine pregnancy test (beta-human chorionic gonadotropin [beta-hCG]) at screening and a negative urine (beta-hCG) pregnancy test at Week 0 prior to administration of study intervention

Who cannot join

  • Has any confirmed or suspected clinical immunodeficiency syndrome not related to treatment of his/her RA or has a family history of congenital or hereditary immunodeficiency unless confirmed absent in the participant
  • Currently has a malignancy or has a history of malignancy within 3 years before screening (with the exception of localized basal cell carcinoma and/or squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer that has been adequately treated with no evidence of recurrence for at least 12 weeks before the first administration of study intervention or cervical carcinoma in situ that has been treated with no evidence of recurrence for at least 3 months before the first administration of study intervention)
  • Is (anatomically or functionally) asplenic
  • Has experienced myocardial infarction (MI), unstable ischemic heart disease, or stroke within 12 weeks of screening
  • Has other known inflammatory diseases that might confound the evaluations of benefit from nipocalimab therapy, including but not limited to ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Lyme disease
  • Is currently taking immunoglobulin (Ig)G fragment crystallizable (Fc)-related protein therapeutics

Trial locations and contacts

28 sites in 5 countries.

28 sites in 5 countries

United States13 sites
  • DJL Clinical Research, PLLC

    Charlotte, North Carolina, 28210

  • Arizona Arthritis & Rheumatology Associates PC

    Glendale, Arizona, 85306

  • Accurate Clinical Research, Inc.

    Houston, Texas, 77089

  • West Tennessee Research Institute

    Jackson, Tennessee, 38305

  • Arizona Arthritis & Rheumatology Research, PLLC

    Mesa, Arizona, 85210

  • Southwest Rheumatology Research LLC

    Mesquite, Texas, 75150

  • Desert Medical Advances

    Palm Desert, California, 92260

  • Arthritis Care and Research Center Inc.: Smitha Reddy, MD

    Poway, California, 92064

  • TriWest Research Associates, LLC

    San Diego, California, 92108

  • Low Country Rheumatology PA

    Summerville, South Carolina, 29486

  • Arizona Arthritis & Rheumatology Research, PLLC

    Tucson, Arizona, 85704

  • Inland Rheumatology Clinical Trials, Inc.

    Upland, California, 91786

  • STAT Research, Inc.

    Vandalia, Ohio, 45377

Other trials in United States

Spain5 sites
  • Hosp Univ A Coruna

    A Coruña, 15006

  • Hosp. Univ. de Basurto

    Bilbao, 48013

  • Hosp. Clinico Univ. de Santiago

    Santiago de Compostela, 15706

  • Hosp. Virgen Macarena

    Seville, 41009

  • Hosp. Do Meixoeiro

    Vigo, 36214

Other trials in Spain

Poland4 sites
  • Szpital Uniwersytecki nr 2 im dr Jana Biziela w Bydgoszczy

    Bydgoszcz, 85-168

  • NZOZ Lecznica Mak-Med sc

    Nadarzyn, 05-830

  • Prywatna Praktyka Lekarska Prof Um Dr Hab Med Pawel Hrycaj

    Poznan, 61 397

  • Centrum Medyczne AMED Targowek

    Warsaw, 03 291

Other trials in Poland

United Kingdom4 sites
  • Western General Hospital

    Edinburgh, EH4 2XU

  • Kings College Hospital NHS Trust

    London, SE5 9RS

  • North Tyneside General Hospital

    Newcastle, NE29 8NH

  • Haywood Hospital

    Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 7AG

Other trials in United Kingdom

Germany2 sites
  • Hamburger Rheuma Forschungszentrum II

    Hamburg, 20095

  • Rheumazentrum Ratingen

    Ratingen, 40878

Other trials in Germany

About this study

Official title: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Parallel-group, Placebo-controlled, Proof-of-concept Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Nipocalimab Administered Intravenously in Participants With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis Despite Standard Therapy

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nipocalimab versus placebo in participants with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Read the detailed description

RA is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that occurs in approximately 1 percent (%) of the population. Nipocalimab (also referred to as JNJ-80202135 and M281) is a fully human aglycosylated immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 monoclonal antibody designed to selectively bind, saturate, and block the IgG binding site on the endogenous neonatal fragment crystallizable (Fc) receptor (FcRn). Nipocalimab has a unique mechanism of action whereby it blocks the IgG binding site on endogenous FcRn and is expected to decrease pathogenic IgG antibody concentrations. A significant involvement of pathogenic IgG antibodies has been demonstrated in autoimmune diseases including RA. The primary hypothesis is that treatment with nipocalimab intravenously (IV) every 2 weeks (q2w) is superior to placebo in participants with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as assessed by the mean change from baseline in the disease activity index score 28 using C-reactive Protein (DAS28-CRP) at Week 12. The study consists of a Screening Period (less than or equal to [<=] 6 Weeks), Double-blind Treatment Period (12 Weeks), and a Safety Follow-up Period (6 Weeks). Key safety assessments will include adverse events (AEs), serious adverse events (SAEs), adverse events of special interests (AESIs), clinical laboratory safety tests (hematology, chemistry, and lipid profile), vital signs, and physical examination. The total duration of the study is up to 24 weeks.

Being tested
Placebo, Nipocalimab
Medical subject headings
Arthritis, Rheumatoid

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • PlaceboOther

    Placebo infusion will be administered intravenously.

  • NipocalimabDrug

    Also called JNJ-80202135, M281

    Nipocalimab infusions will be administered intravenously.

Study groups in NCT04991753
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Group 1: PlaceboPlacebo comparatorParticipants will receive placebo intravenously (IV) every 2 weeks (q2w) through Week 10 along with standard-of-care background therapy.
Receives: Other: Placebo
Group 2: NipocalimabExperimentalParticipants will receive nipocalimab IV q2w through Week 10 along with standard-of-care background therapy.
Receives: Drug: Nipocalimab

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change From Baseline in Disease Activity Index Score 28 Using C-reactive Protein (DAS28-CRP) at Week 12

    Change from baseline in DAS28-CRP at Week 12 were reported. The DAS28 is a composite index used to assess rheumatoid arthritis disease activity, calculated based on the tender joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), swollen joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity, and C-reactive protein (CRP; in milligrams per liter [mg/L]). The set of 28 joint count was based on evaluation of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, metacarpophalangeal (MCP) MCP1 to MCP5, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) PIP1 to PIP5 joints of both the upper right extremity and the upper left extremity as well as the knee joints of lower right and lower left extremities. Score on the DAS28 ranged from 0 to 10, where higher scores indicated more disease activity. Negative changes from baseline indicated improvement of arthritis.

    Measured: Baseline (Week 0), Week 12

Secondary outcomes (11)
  1. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 at Week 12

    Percentage of participants who achieved ACR20 at Week 12 were reported. ACR20 response is defined as: greater than or equal to (>=)20% improvement from baseline in both swollen joint count (66 joints) and tender joint count (68 joints), and >=20% improvement from baseline in 3 of 5 assessments: patient's assessment of pain using visual analog scale (VAS; 0-100 millimeters [mm], 0=no pain and 100=worst possible pain), patient's global assessment of disease activity (arthritis, VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=excellent and 100= poor), physician's global assessment of disease activity (VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=no arthritis activity and 100=extremely active arthritis), patient's assessment of physical function as measured by Disability Index of Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI; 20-question instrument assessing 8 functional areas; range: 0-3, 0= no difficulty, 3= inability to perform task in that area), and CRP.

    Measured: Week 12

  2. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 50 at Week 12

    Percentage of participants who achieved ACR50 at Week 12 were reported. ACR50 response is defined as: >=50% improvement from baseline in both swollen joint count (66 joints) and tender joint count (68 joints), and >=50% improvement from baseline in 3 of 5 assessments: patient's assessment of pain using visual analog scale (VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=no pain and 100=worst possible pain), patient's global assessment of disease activity (arthritis, VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=excellent and 100= poor), physician's global assessment of disease activity (VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=no arthritis activity and 100=extremely active arthritis), patient's assessment of physical function as measured by Disability Index of Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI; 20-question instrument assessing 8 functional areas; range: 0-3, 0= no difficulty, 3= inability to perform task in that area), and CRP.

    Measured: Week 12

  3. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 70 at Week 12

    Percentage of participants who achieved ACR70 at Week 12 were reported. ACR70 response is defined as: >=70% improvement from baseline in both swollen joint count (66 joints) and tender joint count (68 joints), and >=70% improvement from baseline in 3 of 5 assessments: patient's assessment of pain using visual analog scale (VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=no pain and 100=worst possible pain), patient's global assessment of disease activity (arthritis, VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=excellent and 100= poor), physician's global assessment of disease activity (VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=no arthritis activity and 100=extremely active arthritis), patient's assessment of physical function as measured by Disability Index of Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI; 20-question instrument assessing 8 functional areas; range: 0-3, 0= no difficulty, 3= inability to perform task in that area), and CRP.

    Measured: Week 12

  4. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 90 at Week 12

    Percentage of participants who achieved ACR90 at Week 12 were reported. ACR90 response is defined as: >=90% improvement from baseline in both swollen joint count (66 joints) and tender joint count (68 joints), and >=90% improvement from baseline in 3 of 5 assessments: patient's assessment of pain using visual analog scale (VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=no pain and 100=worst possible pain), patient's global assessment of disease activity (arthritis, VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=excellent and 100= poor), physician's global assessment of disease activity (VAS; 0-100 mm, 0=no arthritis activity and 100=extremely active arthritis), patient's assessment of physical function as measured by Disability Index of Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI; 20-question instrument assessing 8 functional areas; range: 0-3, 0= no difficulty, 3= inability to perform task in that area), and CRP.

    Measured: Week 12

  5. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved Disease Activity Index Score 28 Using C-reactive Protein (DAS28-CRP) Remission at Week 12

    Percentage of participants who achieved DAS28-CRP remission at Week 12 were reported. The DAS28 remission is defined as DAS28 -CRP value of less than (<) 2.6 at Week 12. The DAS28 is a composite index used to assess rheumatoid arthritis disease activity, calculated based on the tender joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), swollen joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity, and CRP; in mg/L). The set of 28 joint count is based on evaluation of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, MCP1 to MCP5, PIP1 to PIP5 joints of both the upper right extremity and the upper left extremity as well as the knee joints of lower right and lower left extremities. Score on the DAS28 ranged from 0 to 10, where higher scores indicated more disease activity. Negative changes from baseline indicated improvement of arthritis.

    Measured: Week 12

  6. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved Disease Activity Index Score 28 Using C-reactive Protein (DAS28-CRP) Low Disease Activity (LDA) European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) at Week 12

    Percentage of participants who achieved DAS28-CRP LDA EULAR at Week 12 were reported. The DAS28 LDA EULAR is defined as DAS28 -CRP value of less than or equal to (<=) 3.2 at Week 12. The DAS28 is a composite index used to assess rheumatoid arthritis disease activity, calculated based on the tender joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), swollen joint count (out of 28 evaluated joints), Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity, and C-reactive protein (CRP; in mg/L). The set of 28 joint count is based on evaluation of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, MCP1 to MCP5, PIP1 to PIP5 joints of both the upper right extremity and the upper left extremity as well as the knee joints of lower right and lower left extremities. Score on the DAS28 ranged from 0 to 10, where higher scores indicated more disease activity. Negative changes from baseline indicated improvement of arthritis.

    Measured: Week 12

  7. Change From Baseline in Health Assessment Questionnaire - Disability Index (HAQ-DI) Score at Week 12

    Change from baseline in HAQ-DI score at Week 12 were reported. The HAQ-DI is a patient-reported questionnaire that measures the degree of difficulty a person has in accomplishing tasks in 8 functional areas: dressing, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reaching, gripping, and activities of daily living, over the past week. Responses in each functional area were scored on a scale from 0 (indicating no difficulty) to 3 (inability to perform a task in that area). Overall score was computed as the sum of category scores and divided by the number of categories answered and ranging from 0 to 3, where 0 represents no disability and 3 represents very severe, high-dependency disability.

    Measured: Baseline (Week 0), Week 12

  8. Percentage of Participants With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs)

    Percentage of participants with TEAEs were reported. An adverse event (AE) was any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant administered a medicinal (investigational or non-investigational) product. An AE does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the intervention. TEAEs were defined as any AE occurring at or after the initial administration of study intervention through the safety follow-up visit (8 weeks after the last administration of study intervention).

    Measured: From Week 0 up to 8 weeks post last dose at Week 10 (up to Week 18)

  9. Percentage of Participants With Treatment-emergent Serious Adverse Events (TESAEs)

    Percentage of participants with TESAEs were reported. An AE was any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant administered a medicinal (investigational or non-investigational) product. An AE does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the intervention. A SAE was any untoward medical occurrence at any dose that: resulted in death, was life threatening, required inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, resulted in persistent or significant disability/ incapacity, or resulted in congenital anomaly/birth defect. TESAEs were defined as any SAE occurring at or after the initial administration of study intervention through the safety follow-up visit (8 weeks after the last administration of study intervention).

    Measured: From Week 0 up to 8 weeks post last dose at Week 10 (up to Week 18)

  10. Percentage of Participants With AEs Leading to Discontinuation of Study Intervention

    Percentage of participants with AEs leading to discontinuation of study intervention were reported. An AE was any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant administered a medicinal (investigational or non-investigational) product. An AE does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the intervention.

    Measured: From Week 0 up to Week 10

  11. Percentage of Participants With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESIs)

    Percentage of participants with TEAEs of special interest were reported. An AE was any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant administered a medicinal (investigational or non-investigational) product. An AE does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the intervention. TEAEs were defined as any AE occurring at or after the initial administration of study intervention through the safety follow-up visit (8 weeks after the last administration of study intervention). TEAEs associated with the following situations were considered to be AESIs: (a) Infections that were severe or require IV anti-infective or operative/invasive intervention; (b) Hypoalbuminemia with albumin <20 grams per liter (g/L) (<2.0 grams per deciliter [g/dL]).

    Measured: From Week 0 up to 8 weeks post last dose at Week 10 (up to Week 18)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted5 Aug 2021
  2. Study start14 Oct 2021
  3. Primary completion10 Aug 2022
  4. Study completion10 Aug 2022

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
53 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04991753
Sponsor's protocol ID
CR109058
Other IDs
80202135ARA2001, 2021-000510-42
Status last verified
Aug 2025
First submitted
2 Aug 2021
Last updated
22 Aug 2025
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The data sharing policy of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson \& Johnson is available at www.janssen.com/clinical-trials/transparency. As noted on this site, requests for access to the study data can be submitted through Yale Open Data Access (YODA) Project site at yoda.yale.edu
Expanded access
Available

Publications

  • Yu F, Myshkin E, Nguyen B, Bobadilla Mendez C, Cossu M, Fei K, Wang Q, Hubbard JJ, Campbell K, Ramchandren S, Rojo Cella R, Edwards R, Taylor PC, Gottenberg JE, Noaiseh G, Vu T, Antozzi C, Winthrop KL, Cuff CA, Loza MJ, Dimitrova D, Gao S. Effect of nipocalimab on IgG responses to vaccinations and viral infections in patients with IgG autoantibody-mediated diseases: Post hoc analyses of three randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2026 Dec;22(1):2664331. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2026.2664331. Epub 2026 May 5.

    PubMed 42084498
  • Taylor PC, Schett G, Huizinga TW, Wang Q, Ibrahim F, Zhou B, Liva SG, Shaik JSB, Xiong Y, Leu JH, Panchakshari RA, Loza MJ, Ma K, Dhatt H, Rojo Cella R, Karyekar CS, Cuff CA, Gao S, Fei K. Nipocalimab, an anti-FcRn monoclonal antibody, in participants with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response or intolerance to anti-TNF therapy: results from the phase 2a IRIS-RA study. RMD Open. 2024 Jun 28;10(2):e004278. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2024-004278.

    PubMed 38942592

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Nipocalimab in people with Arthritis, Rheumatoid, run by Janssen Research & Development, LLC at 28 sites in 5 countries.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 28 sites in United States, Spain, Poland, United Kingdom, Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 22 Aug 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change From Baseline in Disease Activity Index Score 28 Using C-reactive Protein (DAS28-CRP) at Week 12 (time frame: Baseline (Week 0), Week 12). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04991753, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 Aug 2025.

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