UCB applies for two new Cimzia indications

UCB has announced that it has submitted new regulatory filings for two new indications of its drug Cimzia in Europe and the US.

The company has applied to extend the marketing authorisation of its drug to adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis and active axial spondyloarthritis, with the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency now reviewing the applications.

Data from the phase III Rapid-PsA and Rapid-axSpA that have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the drug in these indications will be used to support the filings.

Professor Dr Iris Loew-Friedrich, chief medical officer and executive vice-president of UCB, said: "These new regulatory filings bring us one step closer to supporting more people living with immunological conditions and to building UCB's immunology franchise."

Cimzia is currently ratified as a therapy for conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, making it one of UCB's most important drug assets.

The firm announced in December 2012 that the product has been approved for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis among adult patients in Japan.