My study doctor said that after the 8-week induction period, I can continue on the drug as part of a 3-year maintenance study, if I want to. Are you in the Octave trial, too? The Octave study design says that you get re-randomized after the induction period, so people who had been on the drug and went into remission could get re-randomized off the drug and flare. This is why I wanted to get off the Prednisone NOW, while I'm quite sure I'm on the drug. But nooooo.
If I get re-randomized into a placebo group at the end of the 8-weeks and flare coming off the Prednisone, I then have to wait 6 more weeks before I can go into an open-label phase, where they give you the highest dose of the drug, no more fooling around. It's all very much centered on what helps Pfizer, not the patients in the study. The design is quite callous towards the welfare of the study participants. Still, the drug is helping me, and my doctor (the real one, not the bad-tempered study doctor) says it would cost $25,000/year to buy and I'm getting it for free. It's not a perfect situation, but it's better than the alternative!