Positive top-line Ph III results with Lilly and Incyte's baricitinib

US pharma major Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and partner Incyte Corp (Nasdaq: INCY) today revealed that the Phase III RA-BEACON study of the investigational drug baricitinib met its primary endpoint of improved ACR20 response compared to placebo after 12 weeks of treatment.

The study included patients with moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who previously failed one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and who were taking stable doses of conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (cDMARD) therapy. The companies will share results of several ongoing Phase III studies in various disclosures in 2015.

“People with rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to TNF inhibitors are generally considered to be the least responsive to subsequent treatments,” said David Ricks, Lilly senior vice president, and president, Lilly Bio-Medicines, adding: “These results give us confidence in the potential for baricitinib.”