Current Research Studies

To view the procedure you must follow to seek approval for your research study to be advertised on the ARA website click here.

Information regarding studies that are currently recruiting participants  can be found below.

The Arthritis Australia website also has a page where consumers can express interest in joining a research study. 

PRedicting disease-mOdifying anti-rheumatic drug doSe reduction response in rheumatoid and Psoriatic arthritis with EConomic evaluaTion (PROSPECT trial)

Project Title
A multicentre, open-label randomised controlled trial of DMARD dose maintenance (USUAL CARE) vs DMARD discontinuation after reduction (TAPER) in adult patients with rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis (RA and PsA) on stable b/tsDMARD therapy +/- csDMARD/s, who are in sustained low disease activity at baseline for cost-utility comparison and multiomic mechanistic analyses to predict success of down-titration strategies

Principal Investigators

  • Prof. Lyn March (Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW)
  • Prof. Marissa Lassere (St George Hospital, NSW)
  • Prof. Peter Youssef (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW)
  • Prof. Catherine Hill (The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA)
  • Prof. Susanna Proudman (Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA)
  • A/Prof. Mihir Wechalekar (Flinders Medical Centre, SA)
  • Prof. Rachelle Buchbinder (Malvern Clinic, VIC)
  • Dr. David Liew (Austin Health, VIC)
  • A/Prof. Helen Keen (Fiona Stanley Hospital, WA)
  • Dr. James Gray (Princess Alexandra Hospital, QLD)
  • Dr. Matthew Terrill (Sunshine Coast University Hospital, QLD)

Broad Aims of this Project

  • To evaluate efficacy, safety, and cost effectiveness of down-titration strategies of b/tsDMARD therapies in adults with well-controlled RA and PsA.
  • To identify clinical and biomarker predictors of success or failure of down-titration strategies.
  • To generate algorithms for predicting who can safely and successfully reduce biologic therapy.

Reasons for Doing this Research Project
Long-term use of the immunomodulating DMARD therapies may lead to overtreatment, with elevated risks of adverse events and unnecessary costs, however there is currently no clear guidance for when, how to, and who can withdraw therapies in RA or PsA. International consensus on the safest reduction protocols and predictors of success are severely lacking and there are no data in the Australian context where criteria for accessing biologics differs in important ways from the rest of the world. Trials to-date have primarily been conducted with the anti-TNF bDMARD agents, they have not always had a usual-care comparator arm and many have been conducted in the setting of relatively early disease and are not generalisable to all. This trial will substantially address these uncertainties and will enhance the implementation of down-titration strategies if proven to be safe and cost-effective in the Australian setting.

Recruitment of Participants and Selection Criteria 
Participants will be approximately 270 adults with well-controlled RA or PsA across 11 sites.
Major selection criteria include that subjects:

  • first started any b/tsDMARD with or without csDMARD ≥18 months ago;
  • are in remission or low disease activity and have been stable on DMARD for ≥6 months, and
  • if participants are on oral corticosteroids, the dose must be stable and ≤5mg prednisone daily equivalent;
  • have not had any parenteral or intra-articular corticosteroid injections in the last 6 months;
  • are not pregnant or have had an investigational new drug within the last 12 weeks.

Ethics Approval Details
Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) Approval Number: 2021/ETH11902
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12621001695897

Time Period of the Research Project
Anticipated end date by Jun 2027

For Further Information
Contact 02 9463 1758 or email prospect.trial@sydney.edu.au
Click here for Health Professionals Brochure

Research Study Closes: 30 June 2027
Date Posted: August 2024