AbbVie reports positive data from Humira uveitis study

AbbVie has announced clinical trial data that demonstrates the safety and efficacy of its drug Humira in the treatment of uveitis.

Results from the VISUAL-I study offered new evidence of the benefits Humira can offer to adult patients with active non-infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis who still experienced intraocular inflammation while on systemic corticosteroid therapy.

AbbVie's therapy was shown to be associated with a significantly lowered risk of uncontrolled uveitis or vision loss, thus meeting its primary efficacy endpoint.

Compared to placebo, patients on Humira were less likely to experience treatment failure, with the median time to treatment failure prolonged by 87 percent – from three months for placebo to 5.6 months for Humira.

Dr Scott Brun, vice-president of pharmaceutical development at AbbVie, said: "AbbVie continues to drive for innovative solutions in inflammatory disease with a strategic focus on developing new treatment strategies for conditions with high unmet needs."

Humira is approved for a number of conditions, including various forms of arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It is not yet approved to treat uveitis, but AbbVie expects to file an EU regulatory submission for this indication this year.