UCB reports positive data from new Cimzia trials

UCB has announced new clinical data at the European League Against Rheumatism's annual congress that show the benefits of its drug Cimzia in the treatment of various forms of arthritis.

During the event in France, the company shared long-term data on the certolizumab pegol-based therapy, showing its efficacy in the treatment of spondyloarthritis, including patients with psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis.

Results from the 96-week open-label periods of the RAPID-PsA and RAPID-axSpA studies, along with post-hoc analyses, demonstrated improvements in disease activity at 24 weeks in psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis patients were sustained over a two-year period.

Meanwhile, post-hoc analyses suggested that disease activity and clinical response levels to Cimzia during the first 12 weeks of treatment may predict outcomes after 48 weeks.

Additionally, the firm presented results of a phase III study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Cimzia in the treatment of Japanese patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

The combination treatment of Cimzia plus methotrexate was significantly more effective than placebo in inhibiting structural disease progression, as well as achieving clinical remission.