AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, has announced that a late-stage clinical trial for its JAK inhibitor Rinvoq (upadacitinib) in combination with corticosteroids has successfully met the primary endpoint in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). The study demonstrated sustained remission from week 12 through week 52. The data revealed that the combination therapy increased the remission rate to 46%, significantly higher than the 29% observed in the control group that received a placebo plus corticosteroids.
Furthermore, the experimental therapy achieved a higher rate of sustained complete remission, with 37% of patients in the treatment group experiencing this outcome compared to 16% in the control group. The percentage of patients experiencing at least one disease flare was also reduced, with 34% in the Rinvoq group versus 56% in the control group. The safety profile of Rinvoq was found to be consistent with the results from previous studies.
Rinvoq is currently approved for the treatment of several autoimmune diseases. If approved for GCA, it will enter the market as an oral medication competing with Roche’s (SWX: RO) RoActemra (tocilizumab), the only currently approved treatment for GCA, which is an injectable IL-6 receptor inhibitor.- Flcube.com
