UCB’s Cimzia improves rheumatoid arthritis condition among patients in study

BRUSSELS — Patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who respond to 12 weeks of treatment with a drug made by UCB are more likely to show improvement in their condition in the long run, according to results of a study published in the Journal of Rheumatology.

The “RAPID 1” study of UCB’s Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) showed that patients who achieved a clinical response after 12 weeks of taking the drug together with methotrexate had a much higher probability of maintaining low levels of disease activity after a year, compared with those who did not show a response after 12 weeks.

“These results are consistent with a growing body of clinical evidence that suggest a potential for healthcare professionals to predict clinical success as early as week 12 when treating rheumatoid arthritis patients with certolizumab pegol,” said Edward Keystone, the lead investigator and a doctor at the Rebecca MacDonald Center for Arthritis of the University of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.