Celgene reports positive data from psoriatic arthritis drug trial

Celgene has presented positive data from its Palace-1 trial of apremilast, which represented the company's first ever phase III study for psoriatic arthritis.

The drug demonstrated a positive performance among patients with psoriatic arthritis who had received oral disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, biologic therapy and/or had failed on an anti-tumour necrosis factor agent.

It means that Palace-1 is the first phase III study demonstrating statistical significance in a psoriatic arthritis patient population that included both prior biologic exposure and biologic failures.

Celgene expects to submit the drug for regulatory approval in this indication in the US during the first half of 2013, with a European submission to follow later in the year.

Dr Arthur Kavanaugh, professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said: "The results of this first phase III trial of apremilast are encouraging for both physicians and patients as a potentially effective and safe oral therapy for psoriatic arthritis patients."

This comes after the company reported positive data from a phase III trial of a potentially beneficial combination pancreatic cancer treatment regimen involving its drug Abraxane earlier this month.