A Study of Secukinumab to Evaluate Maintenance of Response in Participants With Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis Who Achieved Remission

Prior treatment

• Previous exposure to secukinumab or any other biologic drug directly targeting IL-17 or IL-17 receptor or previous treatment with immunomodulatory biologic agents including those targeting TNFα (tumor necrosis factor α) (unless participants discontinued the treatment with TNFα inhibitor due to a reason other than efficacy \[primary or secondary lack of efficacy, inadequate response\] and only after appropriate wash-out period prior to baseline was observed).

Other illness

• History of hypersensitivity to the study drug or its excipients or to drugs of similar chemical classes.
• Active ongoing inflammatory diseases other than nr-axSpA that might confound the evaluation of the benefit of secukinumab therapy, including uveitis.
• Active inflammatory bowel disease.
• History of ongoing, chronic or recurrent infectious disease or evidence of tuberculosis infection.

Other

• Participants with radiographic evidence for sacroiliitis, grade ≥ 2 bilaterally or grade ≥ 3 unilaterally (radiological criterion according to the modified New York diagnostic criteria for AS) as assessed by central reader.
• Participants taking high potency opioid analgesics (e.g., methadone, hydromorphone, morphine).

• Male or non-pregnant, non-lactating female participants at least 18 years of age
• Clinical diagnosis of axSpA AND according to ASAS axSpA criteria:
  • Inflammatory back pain for at least 6 months
  • Onset before 45 years of age
  • Sacroiliitis on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) (as assessed by central reader) with ≥ 1 SpA feature OR HLA-B-27 positive with ≥2 SpA features
• Objective signs of inflammation at screening, evident by either MRI with Sacroiliac Joint inflammation (as assessed by central reader) AND / OR hsCRP \> ULN (as defined by the central lab)
• Active axSpA as assessed by total BASDAI ≥ 4 cm (0-10 cm) at baseline.
• Spinal pain as measured by BASDAI question #2 ≥ 4 cm (0-10 cm) at baseline.
• Total back pain as measured by VAS (visual analog scale) ≥ 40 mm (0-100 mm) at baseline.
• Participants should have been on at least 2 different NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) at the highest recommended dose for at least 4 weeks in total prior to baseline with an inadequate response or failure to respond, or less if therapy had to be withdrawn due to intolerance, toxicity or contraindications.