Drug trials offer new hope for arthritis patients

Clinical trial results in Britain described as “striking and exciting” could lead to new treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis.

The antibody drug tocilizumab was almost four times more likely to halt progression of the condition than the most widely prescribed alternative.

It also achieved significantly greater reduction in disease signs and symptoms after six months.

Scientists compared tocilizumab, currently on the market at RoActemra, with the “anti-TNF” drug adalimumab (Humira).

The drugs were tested in a group of 326 patients unable to take the mainstay treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), methotrexate (MTX)

MTX is ruled out for roughly a third of patients, many of whom suffer unbearable side effects such as vomiting, hair loss and mouth ulcers.

Currently, such individuals generally move onto anti-TNF drugs, which target a molecule called tumour necrosis factor that promotes inflammation.

Tocilizumab works in a completely different way by targeting another inflammatory protein, interleukin six (IL-6).

Consultant rheumatologist Professor Paul Emery, from the University of Leeds, who took part in the Adacta trial, said: “These results are impressive and important for the 30% of patients with RA who cannot take methotrexate.