UCB's head-to-head trial of treatments for bio-naïve rheumatoid arthritis disappoints

24 March 2016

UCB (Euronext Brussels: UCB) has announced that its head-to-head study of Cimzia and Humira as treatments for bio-naïve rheumatoid arthritis (RA) found that the primary endpoints for superiority were not met.

The Belgian biopharmaceutical company’s study of the two treatments in the anti-TNF class compared Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) plus methotrexate (MTX) to Humira (adalimumab) plus MTX in adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are inadequate responders to MTX.

The primary endpoints for superiority in the 24-month study were based around the percentage of patients with an ACR20 response at Week 12 – a 20% improvement in tender or swollen joint counts and a 20% improvement in at least three of five other criteria including physician assessment and pain scale, along with the percentage of patients who achieved low disease activity at week 104.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK