Roche’s RoActemra shows potential benefits for JIA sufferers

Roche has published new data which illustrates the potential benefits its drug RoActemra can deliver for sufferers of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

According to data from a clinical trial conducted by Roche and partner Chugai, use of the treatment was able alleviate symptoms of the condition by 90 per cent after 12 weeks of therapy.

Although RoActemra is currently only specified as a treatment for adult rheumatoid arthritis, Roche and Chugai plan to submit a new licence application for JIA later this year.

Patricia Woo, professor of paediatric rheumatology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said this could represent a “major advance” for the estimated 2,500 children who suffer from JIA in the UK.

She said: “Children with systemic JIA remain a group with a high unmet medical need.”

Earlier this month, Roche was granted European approval for the specification of RoActemra to be expanded, allowing it to be marketed as a treatment for joint damage among rheumatoid arthritis sufferers.