Rise of rheumatoid arthritis therapies: JAK inhibitor battle and biosimilar threats

An approval of US drug major Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) and Incyte Pharmaceuticals’(Nasdaq: INCY) drug baricitinib is predicted to prove paramount to the autoimmune community, but the recent rise of biosimilars threatens the long-term future of pharma giants’ rheumatoid arthritis (RA) blockbuster hopefuls, according to GlobalData analysts.

The 2013 EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) Annual Congress meeting was held in Madrid, Spain, from June 12–15, and brought together over 14,000 researchers and experts all searching for promising therapeutics to target autoimmune and rheumatic diseases. Several clinical trial results were released during this meeting, including two notable studies for RA therapeutics.

Eli Lilly and Incyte’s Phase IIb data for baricitinib, an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor for RA, showed significant improvements in the signs and symptoms of RA (The Pharma Letter June 13). Baricitinib boasts a novel mechanism of action in that it is said to target JAK1,2 (Pfizer’s [NYSE: PFE] Xeljanz [tofacitinib] is said to target JAK3), modest side-effect profile and impressive clinical effectiveness, with once-daily oral doses showing promise for RA patients.