Trial launched to investigate infliximab in RA prevention

An international coalition of leading rheumatologists has announced the launch of the new DINORA (Definitive Intervention in New-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis) trial that will investigate infliximab (Schering-Plough and Centocor's Remicade) in the treatment of very early inflammatory arthritis to determine whether or not it can prevent the development of destructive rheumatoid arthritis. DINORA was launched at the European League Against Rheumatism annual meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, June 19, and will be partially funded by S-P and Centocor.

"We anticipate very positive results from the ASPIRE trial (Active Controlled Study of Patients Receiving Infliximab for Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis of Early Onset) which looked at the combination of infliximab plus methotrexate in patients with early RA," said Peter Lipsky, scientific director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, part of the USA's National Institutes of Health. "DINORA will examine various combinations of infliximab and methotrexate in patients at an even earlier stage of RA - some of whom are only a few weeks into the disease. We are now exploring the possibility of a cure for RA," he added.