Amgen drug ‘effective in fighting neonatal inflammatory disease’

Kineret (anakinra), the Amgen drug used in the UK for the treatment of arthritis where methotrexate has failed to curb symptoms, is also effective in combating neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID), characterised by rashes, hearing loss and fever, among other symptoms.

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in 18 patients with NOMID, all had a “rapid response” to Kineret treatment, with rashes disappearing. Cochlear and leptomeningeal lesions – also a factor in many cases of NOMID – showed signs of improvement following treatment, according to MRI scans.

Additionally, when the drug was withdrawn, patients relapsed within a matter of days and improved rapidly when treatment with Kineret was continued.

The study’s authors concluded: “Daily injections of anakinra markedly improved clinical and laboratory manifestations in patients with neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease…”

Kineret has been available in the UK since 2002. It is a type of cytokine that helps control cell activity by counteracting the harmful effects of interleukin-1, which causes inflammatory effects seen in diseases like NOMID or rheumatoid arthritis.

It was produced by DNA technology with the aid of E coli bacteria. Kineret is often prescribed in combination with methotrexate, which is also used as a cancer treatment.

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