Lilly and Incyte report positive rheumatoid arthritis drug data

Lilly and Incyte have announced clinical trial data showing the benefits of baricitinib, their new oral therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

Data from RA-BEACON, a phase III global study of baricitinib, showed that baricitinib was associated with significant improvements for patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who had an inadequate response to biologic therapies.

It means the drug was able to meet its primary efficacy endpoint in the trial, underlining its promise as a new therapeutic option for this debilitating disease.

Dr Terence Rooney, Lilly's senior medical director for baricitinib, said: "The findings from the RA-BEACON study suggest treatment with baricitinib is associated with meaningful improvements in rheumatoid arthritis symptoms."

Baricitinib is a once-daily oral selective JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor currently in late-stage clinical studies for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. It has demonstrated approximately 100-fold greater potency of inhibition against JAK1 and JAK2 than JAK3 in kinase assays.

The drug was submitted for regulatory review in the US and EU earlier this year, and is being studied in phase II trials for atopic dermatitis and systemic lupus erythematosus.