Devgen sees good data in trials of oral TNF inhibitors

Belgian biotechnology firm Devgen says that preclinical trials of a series of compounds, that inhibit tumor necrosis factor alpha, have produced encouraging results, which indicate that they may have efficacy against autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The agents are small-molecule drugs that can be orally administered, unlike currently available anti-TNF-alpha treatments, such as UCB's Cimzia (certolizumab) and Abbott Laboratories' Humira (adalimumab), which require injection.

The company's chief executive, Thierry Bogaert, commented that "finding orally active TNF-alpha inhibitors is a 'holy grail' in inflammation research as it may provide patients with convenient, cost effective and hence earlier treatment options in the development of these progressive diseases."