Pfizer reports positive psoriatic arthritis results for tofacitinib

Pfizer has announced positive clinical trial data showing the benefits of tofacitinib in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

The phase III OPAL Broaden study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis who had an inadequate response to at least one conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD) and who had not been treated with anti-TNFs.

It was shown that tofacitinib offered a superior performance to treatment with placebo in terms of response rates and disease activity levels after three months, thus meeting the primary endpoint goals of the trial.

Overall safety findings from this study were consistent with those observed in the broader rheumatology clinical development programme for tofacitinib.

Michael Corbo, category development lead for inflammation and immunology for Pfizer's global innovative pharmaceuticals business, said: "The results seen in the OPAL Broaden study are encouraging as they suggest that tofacitinib may have the potential to offer an additional effective oral option for patients living with psoriatic arthritis."

Tofacitinib is sold under the brand name Xeljanz, and is not yet approved for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. Data from this study will be used to support future regulatory approvals.