• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Roche's Actemra similar to other RA drugs in study

Mon May 14, 2007 7:42am EDT

Stocks

   

LONDON, May 14 (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG's (ROG.VX) experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra showed similar efficacy to existing anti-TNF drugs in a Phase III clinical study, according to an abstract of results released on Monday.

A total of 58.5 percent of patients taking Actemra achieved a 20 percent improvement in their condition as measured by the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR20 response) after 24 weeks of treatment.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank said the results were in line with the anti-TNF class, which was perhaps slightly disappointing given the markedly better ACR20 score seen an earlier 16-week Phase II trial, when 74 percent of patients achieved the goal.

Researchers said the drug had a good safety and tolerability profile.

Actemra works in a different way to established drugs targeting tumour necrosis factor (TNF), such as Amgen Inc.'s (AMGN.O), Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) Remicade and Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s (ABT.N) Humira.

Detailed results from the Phase III Actemra study will be presented at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona next month.

The abstract was published ahead of the meeting on the congress Web site

(here)

((Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Paul Bolding; email: ben.hirschler@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: ben.hirschler.reuters.com@reuters.net; +44 20 7542 5082)) Keywords: ROCHE ACTEMRA/

(C) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution ofReuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expresslyprohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuterssphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group ofcompanies around the world.nL14654660


More from Reuters

Demonstrator holds a signboard with a slogan "Bla bla bla ACT NOW" during a rally outside the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen December 12, 2009. REUTERS/Christian Charisius

"Polluters are given rights to continue their dirty habits"

A climate change scientist blasts proposals for a cap and trade system, arguing it allows dirty industries to continue polluting, instead of rewarding innovation.  Full Article | Full Coverage 

    Climate Conference
    Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is pictured at his Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on his nomination to continue as Chairman of the Board of Governors, on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 3, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed

    No great expectations

    Investors are getting antsy about when the Fed will tighten its purse strings, now that the economy appears to be coming back to life.   Full Article 

    ECONOMY
    Indian woman mourns death of her relative killed in tsunami in Cuddalore. When an earthquake of magnitude 9.15 struck off Indonesia's Aceh province on December, 26, 2004, it triggered a huge tsuanmi that raced across the Indian Ocean and hit Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India. The worst natural disaster of the decade left 230,000 people dead or missing. Taken on December 28, 2004 by Arko Datta

    Pictures that defined a decade

    A woman's grief amid the tsunami devastation and one woman's fight against police in the Amazon are among the indelible Reuters images of the last 10 years.  Slideshow 

    Pictures