Sarilumab Shows Promise in Slowing Down Joint Destruction in RA

A new study is reporting that a new drug called sarilumab may be able to ease symptoms and slow down joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The year-long study involved 1,200 patients with active, moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. All patients had either not benefitted from currently available treatments or had not been able to tolerate them.

Patients who received a 200 mg dose of Sarilumab every alternate week along with methotrexate experienced a 66 percent improvement in the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis after six months. Patients who received a 150 mg dose of the new drug experienced a 58 percent reduction in symptoms like pain and swelling.

"The initial results from this trial look quite promising in terms of reducing painful symptoms," a spokesman for Arthritis Research UK told The Daily Mail. "Sarilumab is still under development and results of this study have not yet been published."

Sarilumab has been developed by Sanofi and Regeneron.


Source: Medindia