Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation, pain, and damage, affecting about 1 in 100 adults. Current treatment includes drugs like methotrexate, biologic injections targeting TNF or IL-6, and JAK inhibitor pills. Many people now achieve remission or low disease activity, though finding the right treatment often requires trial and error.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing new JAK inhibitors with different selectivity profiles, bispecific antibodies that hit two immune targets at once, and drugs that target other immune pathways like IL-17 or IRAK4. Researchers are also studying how to predict which patients will respond to which drugs, aiming to replace the current trial-and-error approach with precision matching.
Bispecific antibodies
These engineered proteins block two different immune signals at once, potentially offering stronger control than single-target drugs. Several are in mid-stage trials for people who haven't responded to standard biologics.
Precision medicine
Studies are identifying blood markers and genetic signatures that predict response to specific drugs. The goal is to match people to the right treatment on the first try rather than cycling through options.
IRAK4 inhibitors
These oral drugs target a different immune pathway than JAK inhibitors. Early trials suggest they may work for people who don't respond to current treatments.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on disease activity level, how long you've had symptoms, which treatments you've tried, and whether certain antibodies are present in your blood.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new biologics, pills, or combination therapies to see if they control joint inflammation better than current options.
- Head-to-head trials — Comparing two active treatments directly to see which works better for specific groups of patients.
- Early arthritis trials — Testing whether aggressive early treatment can prevent joint damage or achieve drug-free remission.
- Biomarker studies — Collecting blood and tissue samples to identify markers that predict treatment response or disease progression.
- Prevention trials — Testing whether treatment can prevent arthritis in people with elevated antibodies but no joint symptoms yet.
Recently added Rheumatoid Arthritis trials
Receive a hip replacement with a new stem design
This study looks at how well a hip replacement using the collarless Actis stem works over five years. Total hip replacement is a common operation for people whose hip joint has been damaged by arthritis, by loss of blood supply to the hip bone, or by a broken hip. During the operation, the damaged parts of the hip are replaced with artificial parts. The Actis stem is the part that is fitted into the thigh bone. It is designed to bond directly with the bone, without the use of bone cement. The Actis stem is already used in many countries, and early results have been good. However, almost all of those results come from Western patients, and most studies used a version of the stem that has a small collar. Very little is known about how the collarless version performs in Asian patients, who tend to be younger at the time of surgery and more often have the operation because of loss of blood supply to the hip bone. People aged 18 years or older who are already scheduled for a hip replacement at this hospital may take part. Everyone who takes part has the same operation, with the same set of artificial parts. No extra tests are done for research purposes. After surgery, participants return to the clinic at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months, and then once a year until 5 years have passed. These are the same visits that patients would have anyway. At each visit, the study team checks for any problems with the new hip, takes routine X-rays, and asks participants to fill in questionnaires about their hip pain, their daily activities, and their overall health. The main question the study asks is how many participants have a problem with the new hip within five years, such as the hip coming out of place, an infection, a break in the bone around the implant, or the implant becoming loose.
Take arthritis medications with a plan to reduce them
The goal is to investigate whether a strategy of attempting to discontinue of MTX or LEF (and restart when necessary) in RA patients treated with an optimal dose (allowed dose or lower, tapered to the maximum, or according to patient preference) TNFi is not worser to a continuation of combination therapy. The study will also examine the disease-related effects of treatment that attempts to discontinue MTX or LEF, how patients experience it, its safety, and its impact on medication usage and healthcare costs. The main outcome is the difference between treatments in average disease activity over 24 months. The study will compare whether disease activity remains similar between patients who attempt to discontinue MTX or LEF and those who continue combination therapy. Patients will be followed for 24 months with scheduled hospital visits at baseline, after 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, remote visits, and additional visits for disease flares. X-rays of the hands and feet will be taken at baseline and after 24 months. During some visits, additional blood samples will be taken to measure inflammation markers and medication levels.
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