RoActemra superior to Humira as single-agent therapy
pharmafile | June 7, 2012 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Humira, Orencia, RA, RoActemra, Roche. ADACTA
Roche’s RoActemra (tocilizumab) is more effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis as a single agent than market leader Humira, a new study suggests.
Roche’s ADACTA trial tested its drug as single-agent therapy (without other DMARDs) against Abbott’s Humira (adalimumab) and found it produced a significantly greater improvement in disease activity after 24 weeks.
The results of ADACTA will be presented on Friday at the annual European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) conference in Berlin.
RA patients are often treated with a number of medicines, combining protein-based biologic therapies with methotrexate (MTX). However, about a third of patients on a biologic treatment such as RoActemra or adalimumab receive it as a single agent, also known as biologic monotherapy, largely due to intolerance to MTX.
“Since there are a number of therapies approved for patients with RA, it is important for them and their healthcare provider to have the information they need to choose the best individual treatment option,” said Hal Barron, head of Global Product Development and chief medical officer at Roche.
“This study showed that for patients requiring biologic monotherapy RoActemra was more effective than adalimumab, meaning that patients were more likely to experience DAS28 remission, greater improvement in joint pain and swelling, and an improved quality of life.”
Orencia demonstrates non-inferiority
Meanwhile, a separate study by Bristol-Myers Squibb found that its biologic Orencia achieved more or less the same efficacy as Humira in treating RA in biologic-naïve rheumatoid patients with background treatment.
Orencia was originally only available as an intravenous infusion, but a subcutaneous version was approved a year ago in the US. This will make it more attractive to patients and doctors, but the drug is likely to remain a second line treatment for when patients stop responding to first line treatments such as Humira.
The next significant development in the increasingly competitive RA field is likely to be the approval of Pfizer’s new oral drug, tofacitinib. The drug, the first in a new class of drugs called JAK inhibitors, was recommended by an FDA committee in early May, and could gain final approval by August.
The drug would be the first oral treatment for the condition, and has matched the efficacy of Humira in one trial, setting it up to be a major player in the therapy area.
Andrew McConaghie
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