|
 The data come two weeks after U.S. health regulators approved the
drug, baricitinib, under the trade name Olumiant, with a far more
restrictive label than expected to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
There are few available treatments for lupus, which affects multiple
organs and tissues in the body, causing symptoms that range from
extreme fatigue and unexplained fever to joint pain and rash.
After 24 weeks of therapy, 67 percent of patients on a 4 mg dose of
baricitinib showed a resolution of arthritis or rash, common
symptoms of lupus, compared with 53 percent on a placebo.
However, baricitinib's 2 mg dose did not show a statistically
significant improvement.
Lilly's once-daily pill belongs to a class of drugs known as JAK
inhibitors, which block inflammation-causing enzymes, known as Janus
kinases, and Lilly says it is ahead of the curve in testing the drug
in lupus patients.
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"This is the first of this class of therapies to have shown this
sort of benefit and we want to make the most of that," Lilly's
global development leader, Jim McGill, told Reuters, adding that he
expects other JAK inhibitor companies to jump in soon.
The data, presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology
in Amsterdam, underscore the potential of the company's immunology
portfolio, Lilly said.
The upcoming 52-week lupus trial will evaluate both doses of the
drug, which is also being tested for atopic dermatitis.
Lilly has partnered with Incyte Corp on the development of
baricitinib.
(Reporting by Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
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