UCB receive FDA approval for new psoriatic arthritis therapy

UCB has announced that its drug Cimzia has achieved a key US regulatory milestone that will allow it to be commercialised as a therapy for psoriatic arthritis.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis, its third indication in the US, based on positive data from the Rapid-PsA clinical trial.

It has been shown that Cimzia can improve the signs and symptoms of the disease as early as the first week of treatment for some patients.

The European Commission is also currently considering the use of Cimzia in this indication, with Europe's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommending its approval last month.

Professor Dr Iris Loew-Friedrich, chief medical officer and executive vice-president at UCB, said the approval "reaffirms the value of our commitment to developing medicines that treat serious, chronic diseases and in turn help those with psoriatic arthritis".

In July 2013, the company announced findings from a study showing the quality of life benefits Cimzia can deliver for axial spondyloarthritis sufferers.