Appendix 1

List of articles included in the systematic review [1-68]

1. Rantalaiho V, Kautiainen H, Korpela M, et al. Targeted treatment with a combination of traditional DMARDs produces excellent clinical and radiographic long-term outcomes in early regardless of initial . The 5-year follow-up results of a randomised clinical trial, the NEO-RACo trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (11):1954-61 2. Smolen JS, Emery P, Fleischmann R, et al. Adjustment of therapy in rheumatoid arthritis on the basis of achievement of stable low disease activity with plus methotrexate or methotrexate alone: the randomised controlled OPTIMA trial.[Erratum appears in Lancet. 2014 Jan 25;383(9914):308]. Lancet 2014; 383 (9914):321-32 3. Yoo DH, Hrycaj P, Miranda P, et al. A randomised, double-blind, parallel-group study to demonstrate equivalence in efficacy and safety of CT-P13 compared with innovator infliximab when coadministered with methotrexate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: the PLANETRA study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (10):1613-20 4. Smolen JS, Weinblatt ME, van der Heijde D, et al. Efficacy and safety of tabalumab, an anti-B-cell-activating factor , in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had an inadequate response to methotrexate therapy: results from a phase III multicentre, randomised, double-blind study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (8):1567-70 5. Smolen JS, Nash P, Durez P, et al. Maintenance, reduction, or withdrawal of etanercept after treatment with etanercept and methotrexate in patients with moderate rheumatoid arthritis (PRESERVE): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2013; 381 (9870):918-29 6. Stohl W, Gomez-Reino J, Olech E, et al. Safety and efficacy of in combination with methotrexate in MTX-naive subjects with rheumatoid arthritis: the phase III FILM trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2012; 71 (8):1289-96 7. Tak PP, Rigby WF, Rubbert-Roth A, et al. Inhibition of joint damage and improved clinical outcomes with rituximab plus methotrexate in early active rheumatoid arthritis: the IMAGE trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011; 70 (1):39-46 8. Takeuchi T, Harigai M, Tanaka Y, et al. monotherapy in Japanese patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite prior treatment with disease- modifying antirheumatic drugs: results of the phase 2/3, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled GO-MONO study through 24 weeks. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (9):1488-95 9. Takeuchi T, Yamanaka H, Ishiguro N, et al. Adalimumab, a human anti-TNF monoclonal antibody, outcome study for the prevention of joint damage in Japanese patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: the HOPEFUL 1 study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (3):536-43 10. Tanaka Y, Harigai M, Takeuchi T, et al. Golimumab in combination with methotrexate in Japanese patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: results of the GO-FORTH study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2012; 71 (6):817-24 11. Taylor PC, Quattrocchi E, Mallett S, et al. Ofatumumab, a fully human anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, in biological-naive, rheumatoid arthritis patients with an inadequate response to methotrexate: a randomised, double-blind, placebo- controlled clinical trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011; 70 (12):2119- 25 12. van Vollenhoven RF, Ostergaard M, Leirisalo-Repo M, et al. Full dose, reduced dose or discontinuation of etanercept in rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2016; 75 (1):52-8 13. van Vollenhoven RF, Fleischmann R, Cohen S, et al. Tofacitinib or adalimumab versus placebo in rheumatoid arthritis.[Erratum appears in N Engl J Med. 2013 Jul 18;369(3):293]. New England Journal of Medicine 2012; 367 (6):508- 19 14. Vital EM, Dass S, Buch MH, et al. An extra dose of rituximab improves clinical response in rheumatoid arthritis patients with initial incomplete depletion: a randomised controlled trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (6):1195-201 15. Weinblatt ME, Bingham CO, 3rd, Mendelsohn AM, et al. Intravenous golimumab is effective in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate therapy with responses as early as week 2: results of the phase 3, randomised, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled GO-FURTHER trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (3):381-9 16. Yazici Y, Curtis JR, Ince A, et al. Efficacy of in patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis and a previous inadequate response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: the ROSE study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2012; 71 (2):198-205 17. Burmester GR, Kivitz AJ, Kupper H, et al. Efficacy and safety of ascending methotrexate dose in combination with adalimumab: the randomised CONCERTO trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (6):1037-44 18. Bijlsma JW, Welsing PM, Woodworth TG, et al. Early rheumatoid arthritis treated with tocilizumab, methotrexate, or their combination (U-Act-Early): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, strategy trial. Lancet 2016; 388 (10042):343-55 19. Bakker MF, Jacobs JW, Welsing PM, et al. Low-dose prednisone inclusion in a methotrexate-based, tight control strategy for early rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized trial.[Summary for patients in Ann Intern Med. 2012 Mar 6;156(5):I18; PMID: 22393145]. Annals of Internal Medicine 2012; 156 (5):329- 39 20. Axelsen MB, Eshed I, Horslev-Petersen K, et al. A treat-to-target strategy with methotrexate and intra-articular triamcinolone with or without adalimumab effectively reduces MRI synovitis, osteitis and tenosynovitis and halts structural damage progression in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the OPERA randomised controlled trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (5):867-75 21. Atsumi T, Yamamoto K, Takeuchi T, et al. The first double-blind, randomised, parallel-group study in methotrexate-naive early rheumatoid arthritis patients with poor prognostic factors, C-OPERA, shows inhibition of radiographic progression. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2016; 75 (1):75-83 22. Leirisalo-Repo M, Kautiainen H, Laasonen L, et al. Infliximab for 6 months added on combination therapy in early rheumatoid arthritis: 2-year results from an investigator-initiated, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (the NEO-RACo Study). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (6):851-7 23. McInnes IB, Thompson L, Giles JT, et al. Effect of -6 receptor blockade on surrogates of vascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis: MEASURE, a randomised, placebo-controlled study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (4):694-702 24. Smolen JS, Emery P, Ferraccioli GF, et al. Certolizumab pegol in rheumatoid arthritis patients with low to moderate activity: the CERTAIN double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (5):843-50 25. Schiff MH, von Kempis J, Goldblum R, et al. Rheumatoid arthritis secondary non- responders to TNF can attain an efficacious and safe response by switching to certolizumab pegol: a phase IV, randomised, multicentre, double-blind, 12- week study, followed by a 12-week open-label phase. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (12):2174-7 26. Proudman SM, James MJ, Spargo LD, et al. Fish oil in recent onset rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised, double-blind controlled trial within algorithm-based drug use. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (1):89-95 27. Peterfy C, Emery P, Tak PP, et al. MRI assessment of suppression of structural damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving rituximab: results from the randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind RA-SCORE study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2016; 75 (1):170-7 28. Ostergaard M, Jacobsson LT, Schaufelberger C, et al. MRI assessment of early response to certolizumab pegol in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised, double- blind, placebo-controlled phase IIIb study applying MRI at weeks 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (6):1156-63 29. Nam JL, Villeneuve E, Hensor EM, et al. A randomised controlled trial of etanercept and methotrexate to induce remission in early inflammatory arthritis: the EMPIRE trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (6):1027-36 30. Lee EB, Fleischmann R, Hall S, et al. Tofacitinib versus methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis. New England Journal of Medicine 2014; 370 (25):2377-86 31. Kremer J, Li ZG, Hall S, et al. Tofacitinib in combination with nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized trial.[Summary for patients in Ann Intern Med. 2013 Aug 20;159(4):I-26; PMID: 24026272]. Annals of Internal Medicine 2013; 159 (4):253-61 32. Kavanaugh A, Fleischmann RM, Emery P, et al. Clinical, functional and radiographic consequences of achieving stable low disease activity and remission with adalimumab plus methotrexate or methotrexate alone in early rheumatoid arthritis: 26-week results from the randomised, controlled OPTIMA study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (1):64-71 33. Kaine J, Gladstein G, Strusberg I, et al. Evaluation of abatacept administered subcutaneously in adults with active rheumatoid arthritis: impact of withdrawal and reintroduction on immunogenicity, efficacy and safety (phase Iiib ALLOW study). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2012; 71 (1):38-44 34. Horslev-Petersen K, Hetland ML, Junker P, et al. Adalimumab added to a treat- to-target strategy with methotrexate and intra-articular triamcinolone in early rheumatoid arthritis increased remission rates, function and quality of life. The OPERA Study: an investigator-initiated, randomised, double-blind, parallel- group, placebo-controlled trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (4):654-61 35. Heimans L, Wevers-de Boer KV, Visser K, et al. A two-step treatment strategy trial in patients with early arthritis aimed at achieving remission: the IMPROVED study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (7):1356-61 36. Emery P, Hammoudeh M, FitzGerald O, et al. Sustained remission with etanercept tapering in early rheumatoid arthritis. New England Journal of Medicine 2014; 371 (19):1781-92 37. Fleischmann R, Kremer J, Cush J, et al. Placebo-controlled trial of tofacitinib monotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis. New England Journal of Medicine 2012; 367 (6):495-507 38. Gabay C, Emery P, van Vollenhoven R, et al. Tocilizumab monotherapy versus adalimumab monotherapy for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (ADACTA): a randomised, double-blind, controlled phase 4 trial.[Erratum appears in Lancet. 2013 May 4;381(9877):1540 Note: Dosage error in article text], [Erratum appears in Lancet. 2013 Dec 7;382(9908):1878]. Lancet 2013; 381 (9877):1541-50 39. Genovese MC, Fleischmann R, Kivitz AJ, et al. Plus Methotrexate in Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inadequate Response to Methotrexate: Results of a Phase III Study. Arthritis & Rheumatology 2015; 67 (6):1424-37 40. Genovese MC, Kremer J, Zamani O, et al. Baricitinib in Patients with Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis. New England Journal of Medicine 2016; 374 (13):1243- 52 41. Haschka J, Englbrecht M, Hueber AJ, et al. Relapse rates in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in stable remission tapering or stopping antirheumatic therapy: interim results from the prospective randomised controlled RETRO study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2016; 75 (1):45-51 42. Emery P, Burmester GR, Bykerk VP, et al. Evaluating drug-free remission with abatacept in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the phase 3b, multicentre, randomised, active-controlled AVERT study of 24 months, with a 12-month, double-blind treatment period. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (1):19-26 43. Dougados M, Kissel K, Sheeran T, et al. Adding tocilizumab or switching to tocilizumab monotherapy in methotrexate inadequate responders: 24-week symptomatic and structural results of a 2-year randomised controlled strategy trial in rheumatoid arthritis (ACT-RAY). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (1):43-50 44. Detert J, Bastian H, Listing J, et al. Induction therapy with adalimumab plus methotrexate for 24 weeks followed by methotrexate monotherapy up to week 48 versus methotrexate therapy alone for DMARD-naive patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: HIT HARD, an investigator-initiated study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (6):844-50 45. Burmester GR, Blanco R, Charles-Schoeman C, et al. Tofacitinib (CP-690,550) in combination with methotrexate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis with an inadequate response to tumour necrosis factor inhibitors: a randomised phase 3 trial. Lancet 2013; 381 (9865):451-60 46. de Jong PH, Hazes JM, Barendregt PJ, et al. Induction therapy with a combination of DMARDs is better than methotrexate monotherapy: first results of the tREACH trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (1):72- 8 47. Combe B, Dasgupta B, Louw I, et al. Efficacy and safety of golimumab as add-on therapy to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: results of the GO-MORE study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (8):1477-86 48. Conaghan PG, Durez P, Alten RE, et al. Impact of intravenous abatacept on synovitis, osteitis and structural damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and an inadequate response to methotrexate: the ASSET randomised controlled trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (8):1287-94 49. Buttgereit F, Mehta D, Kirwan J, et al. Low-dose prednisone chronotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised clinical trial (CAPRA-2). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (2):204-10 50. Nam JL, Villeneuve E, Hensor EM, et al. Remission induction comparing infliximab and high-dose intravenous steroid, followed by treat-to-target: a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial in new-onset, treatment-naive, rheumatoid arthritis (the IDEA study). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (1):75-85 51. Burmester GR, Rubbert-Roth A, Cantagrel A, et al. Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous tocilizumab versus intravenous tocilizumab in combination with traditional DMARDs in patients with RA at week 97 (SUMMACTA). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2016; 75 (1):68-74 52. Burmester GR, Rubbert-Roth A, Cantagrel A, et al. A randomised, double-blind, parallel-group study of the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous tocilizumab versus intravenous tocilizumab in combination with traditional disease- modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (SUMMACTA study). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (1):69-74 53. Burmester GR, Weinblatt ME, McInnes IB, et al. Efficacy and safety of in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013; 72 (9):1445-52 54. Rezaei H, Saevarsdottir S, Forslind K, et al. In early rheumatoid arthritis, patients with a good initial response to methotrexate have excellent 2-year clinical outcomes, but radiological progression is not fully prevented: data from the methotrexate responders population in the SWEFOT trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2012; 71 (2):186-91 55. Schiff M, Weinblatt ME, Valente R, et al. Head-to-head comparison of subcutaneous abatacept versus adalimumab for rheumatoid arthritis: two-year efficacy and safety findings from AMPLE trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (1):86-94 56. Weinblatt ME, Genovese MC, Ho M, et al. Effects of fostamatinib, an oral spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in rheumatoid arthritis patients with an inadequate response to methotrexate: results from a phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. Arthritis & Rheumatology 2014; 66 (12):3255-64 57. Verschueren P, De Cock D, Corluy L, et al. Methotrexate in combination with other DMARDs is not superior to methotrexate alone for remission induction with moderate-to-high-dose glucocorticoid bridging in early rheumatoid arthritis after 16 weeks of treatment: the CareRA trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (1):27-34 58. van Vollenhoven RF, Geborek P, Forslind K, et al. Conventional combination treatment versus biological treatment in methotrexate-refractory early rheumatoid arthritis: 2 year follow-up of the randomised, non-blinded, parallel- group Swefot trial. Lancet 2012; 379 (9827):1712-20 59. Bakker MF, Jacobs JW, Welsing PM, et al. Early clinical response to treatment predicts 5-year outcome in RA patients: follow-up results from the CAMERA study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011; 70 (6):1099-103 60. Bathon J, Robles M, Ximenes AC, et al. Sustained disease remission and inhibition of radiographic progression in methotrexate-naive patients with rheumatoid arthritis and poor prognostic factors treated with abatacept: 2-year outcomes. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011; 70 (11):1949-56 61. de Jong PH, Hazes JM, Han HK, et al. Randomised comparison of initial triple DMARD therapy with methotrexate monotherapy in combination with low- dose glucocorticoid bridging therapy; 1-year data of the tREACH trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (7):1331-9 62. Huizinga TW, Conaghan PG, Martin-Mola E, et al. Clinical and radiographic outcomes at 2 years and the effect of tocilizumab discontinuation following sustained remission in the second and third year of the ACT-RAY study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2015; 74 (1):35-43 63. Keystone E, Landewe R, van Vollenhoven R, et al. Long-term safety and efficacy of certolizumab pegol in combination with methotrexate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: 5-year results from the RAPID 1 trial and open-label extension. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (12):2094-100 64. Kremer JM, Russell AS, Emery P, et al. Long-term safety, efficacy and inhibition of radiographic progression with abatacept treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and an inadequate response to methotrexate: 3-year results from the AIM trial. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011; 70 (10):1826-30 65. Klarenbeek NB, Guler-Yuksel M, van der Kooij SM, et al. The impact of four dynamic, goal-steered treatment strategies on the 5-year outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis patients in the BeSt study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011; 70 (6):1039-46 66. van Aken J, Heimans L, Gillet-van Dongen H, et al. Five-year outcomes of probable rheumatoid arthritis treated with methotrexate or placebo during the first year (the PROMPT study). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2014; 73 (2):396-400 67. Tak PP, Rigby W, Rubbert-Roth A, et al. Sustained inhibition of progressive joint damage with rituximab plus methotrexate in early active rheumatoid arthritis: 2-year results from the randomised controlled trial IMAGE. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2012; 71 (3):351-7 68. Schiff M, Keiserman M, Codding C, et al. Clinical response and tolerability to abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis previously treated with infliximab or abatacept: open-label extension of the ATTEST Study. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2011; 70 (11):2003-7