What was the rationale for abrupt discontinuation of etanercept rather than gradual tapering in the SEAM-RA trial?

The main goal of this trial was to get RA patients off of therapy and to see whether they would flare or maintain remission. We didn’t expect that the ultimate likelihood of success or failure was going to be primarily related to how long it took to do that. While a gradual withdrawal of the drug ma...

I would taper Methotrexate first.