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UCB claims 'significant' benefits of arthritis treatment

28 Nov 2008

Clinical Research

UCB has reported encouraging data from a clinical trial of a potential rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment.

The company said certolizumab pegol - which goes by the trade name Cimzia - provided "significant clinical benefits" to adult patients with active RA, both when given as a monotherapy and in combination with methotrexate.

According to the firm, adverse events occurred in 7.2 per cent of patients treated with the drug, compared to 2.8 per cent of patients given placebo.

Professor Roy Fleischmann, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, referred to the results as "exciting", adding that they "demonstrate the potential for certolizumab pegol as a future therapy dosed every four weeks".

He also said it was "important" that it was the first phase-three trial to have shown the clinical benefit of the medicine as a monotherapy.

Meanwhile UCB together with Jazz Pharmaceuticals have claimed positive results from the latest clinical study of a potential fibromyalgia treatment.

Sodium oxybate is said to have significantly reduced patients' pain and fatigue while improving daily function.