Novartis tracks sustained remission in arthritis study

Novartis says that a single dose of ACZ885 produced "rapid and long-lasting remission" in children and adults suffering from rare forms of arthritis. The pharma giant presented late-stage data on the drug, which is being tested as a therapy for a group of diseases called Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes.

"Due to the long duration of response, patients only needed further treatment every two months," said Novartis in a statement. Researchers added that Phase I/II data gathered from children suffering from the most severe form of arthritis also demonstrated a substantial clinical improvement. The data was presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Francisco.

The success of the trial is good news for both patients and the medical community, said Professor Philip Hawkins of the National Amyloidosis Centre at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, London. "Current treatments are not always effective, and are also short-acting and often poorly tolerated by patients. The rapid and long-lasting remission induced by ACZ885 is an important and much-needed development for both children and adults with CAPS."

- check out the Novartis release

Related Articles:
Novartis pays $115M for Nektar pulmonary assets
Novartis shakes up executive team
Novartis: Data supports pre-pandemic vaccinations
NexMed tanks after Novartis stalls on fungus drug