ACZ 885 from Novartis success in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

New data from a trial with ACZ 885 (canakinumab) was announced by Novartis. A pivotal Phase III study in patients with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) . SJIA is a rare and serious autoiflammatory disease that usually start in childhood.The study met its primary endpoint, and the results will be presented on 7 June at the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR 2012), in Berlin, Germany. In the Phase III study, 62% of SJIA patients treated with ACZ885 had inactive disease status at the end of the placebo-controlled period. In contrast, patients who had received ACZ885 treatment and were then randomized to receive placebo had a 32% rate of inactive disease at this time point. Disease inactivity is a rigorous definition of improvement, comprising absence of symptoms including: no active arthritis, no fever, no rheumatoid rash, as well as normalized blood markers normally associated with inflammation, such as ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and CRP (C-reactive protein). In addition, one third (33%) of SJIA patients treated with ACZ885 were able to completely discontinue corticosteroids.seeRuperto N, Brunner H, Quartier P, et al. Efficacy and safety of canakinumab, fully human anti-interleukin-1 beta antibody, in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Oral presentation at: The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) congress: June 6-9, 2012, Berlin, Germany.