SOBI's Kineret approved in Australia for use in systemic juvenile idiopathic

Nordic drugmaker Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (SOBI: STO) together with its Australian partner, the local subsidiary of Italy’s Menarini, received marketing authorization in Australia for Kineret (anakinra) for the treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), which is a rare form of juvenile chronic arthritis.

"We are pleased and encouraged by this approval which was achieved through a fruitful collaboration between physicians, regulators, and our development team including Menarini," says Kristina Timdahl, medical therapeutic area head for the business area Inflammation at SOBI, adding: "We are looking forward to serving a wider group of patients in Australia going forward."

Kineret is a recombinant protein drug that blocks the biological activity of IL-1a and IL -1b by binding to interleukin-1 type 1 receptor (IL-R 1), expressed in a variety of tissues and organs, and thereby blocking the interleukin-1 (IL-1) signalling. IL-1 is a key mediator of inflammation and a significant contributor to auto-inflammatory diseases.