Cimzia results excite UCB in psoriatic arthritis

pharmafile | February 16, 2012 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing Cimzia, UCB, psoriatic arthritis 

UCB will submit Cimzia for psoriatic arthritis by the end of 2012, after positive Phase III trial results for the drug.

Results from the Cimzia study showed that patients with adult onset active psoriatic arthritis had a statistically significant improvement at week 12, in the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.

The anti-TNF drug is already approved in a number of markets for rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease, and made the firm €198 million in 2010.

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If the drug is approved it will compete with Pfizer and Amgen’s blockbuster drug Enbrel and Merck and Janssen’s Simponi, which already have licences for psoriatic arthritis as well as a number of other autoimmune diseases. 

Professor Dr Iris Loew-Friedrich, chief medical officer and executive vice president at UCB, said: “We are pleased that Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) has the potential to also benefit patients living with psoriatic arthritis and we are currently preparing for submissions to the regulatory authorities later this year.

“We shall discuss the study results with the regulatory authorities and present them at upcoming major rheumatology congresses.”

Psoriatic arthritis is a condition involving joint inflammation that usually occurs in combination with a skin disorder called psoriasis.

The condition affects an estimated 24 out of 10,000 people, with around 5 – 10% of those with psoriasis developing psoriatic arthritis, according to UCB.

Ben Adams 

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