Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is reporting a success in the mid-stage trial of its gout drug Arcalyst. Researchers say the drug reduced gout flares by 81 percent in the 83-person study. And it hit its main goal by beating a placebo by a statistically significant margin. A late-stage study is scheduled to get underway in early '09.
The New York Times' Andrew Pollack highlights the small number of patients in the study and its comparison to a dummy pill as opposed to approved therapies. He also notes that Arcalyst--currently approved for a set of rare inflammatory diseases--now costs $5,000 for each weekly injection. Regeneron plans to sharply reduce that price if the therapy is approved to treat gout. The drug works by blocking interleukin-1.
- here's Regeneron's release [1]
- read the article [2] in the New York Times
Related Articles:
Regeneron licenses tech to Sanofi in $21.5M deal [3]
Aflibercept misses endpoint in mid-stage study [4]
Sanofi snags bigger stake, new pact with Regeneron [5]
Sanofi, Regeneron launch late-stage cancer studies [6] (Aug 2007)
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/press-releases/regenerons-arcalyst-rilonacept-reduced-incidence-gout-flares-81-percent-phase-2-study
[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/health/research/03gout.html?ref=business
[3] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/regeneron-licenses-tech-sanofi-21-5m-deal/2008-08-05?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&cmp-id=OTC-RSS-FB0
[4] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/aflibercept-misses-endpoint-in-mid-stage-study/2008-05-21
[5] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/sanofi-snags-bigger-stake-new-pact-regeneron/2007-11-29
[6] http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/sanofi-regeneron-launch-late-stage-cancer-studies/2007-08-23