American College of Rheumatology highlights
From January/February 2006 Psoriasis Advance
National Psoriasis Foundation Director of Research Liz Horn, Ph.D., attended the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in November 2005, held in San Diego, Calif.
She reports on the conference highlights that affect the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis community.
More than 12,000 scientists, medical professionals and industry representatives attended the ACR's annual scientific meeting. The meeting focused on all aspects of rheumatology, and important data for psoriatic arthritis patients was presented.
Decreasing joint progression
Psoriatic arthritis can cause erosion and destruction of the joints—known as "joint progression"—making it a potentially disabling disease. Long-term data on Humira (generic name adalimumab) and Remicade (generic name infliximab) were released at the ACR that indicated that the drugs decreased joint damage and improved arthritis symptoms. Enbrel (generic name etanercept) also has been shown in long-term studies (two years) to inhibit joint progression. The three biologics block TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor-alpha)—a chemical messenger in the immune system that signals other cells to cause inflammation.
This is important news for patients, because traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate and cyclosporine have not been shown to stop joint damage in psoriatic arthritis patients. Joint progression is measured by taking X-rays of joints over time and examining and comparing the images.
Humira: 48-week results from the phase III ADEPT trial showed that patients taking Humira
had less destruction of their joints (measured by X-ray) compared to patients taking placebo.
Patients taking Humira also saw improvement in their arthritis severity scores, in quality of life measures and, for those with skin symptoms, in psoriasis severity scores. Side effects were generally mild and did not cause most patients to stop taking Humira.
Remicade: 54-week results from the phase III IMPACT II trial showed that patients taking Remicade had less destruction of their joints compared to patients taking placebo. Patients
taking Remicade also saw an improvement in their arthritis severity scores, in quality of life measures and, for those with skin symptoms, in psoriasis severity scores. Side effects were generally mild and did not cause most patients to stop taking Remicade.
Combination treatment may help psoriatic arthritis
Amevive: A phase II clinical trial with Amevive (generic name alefacept) showed that the drug decreases psoriatic arthritis symptoms. All patients (those on Amevive and those in the placebo group) were also taking methotrexate. During the first course of treatment, more than half (54 percent) of patients using Amevive plus methotrexate achieved more improvement in their arthritis severity scores than those on methotrexate alone. For the second course, all patients took Amevive plus methotrexate, and more than half of patients (51 percent to 55 percent) achieved improvement in their arthritis severity scores. Patients with skin symptoms also saw an improvement in their psoriasis severity scores. Safety profiles were similar in patients taking Amevive and methotrexate compared to those taking Amevive alone.
For more information about the treatments listed and their approval status, call 800.723.9166,
e-mail getinfo@psoriasis.org or visit www.psoriasis.org/treatment. Visit www.psoriasis.org/research/pipeline/ to learn more about the phases of drug development.
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