Arthritis
Rituximab halts damage to joints
By European League Against Rheumatism
Jun 22, 2006 - 5:23:00 PM

New data, presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology show for the first time that a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment, rituximab, is able to significantly inhibit the structural damage to joints caused by RA in patients who have long-standing disease and an inadequate response to one or more TNF (Tumour Necrosis Factor) inhibitors.

Prevention of joint structural damage in rheumatoid arthritis is a critical therapeutic outcome. Many patients respond well to the TNF inhibitors, a relatively new class of therapy which prevents TNF protein causing inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, however approximately 30% - 40% of patients treated with this therapy experience either an inadequate response or are intolerant to such therapies. As such, the study was designed to investigate the effect at 1 year of rituximab (a new therapy targeting B-cells � cells which create abnormal antibodies causing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms) plus methotrexate (an antimetabolite drug which inhibits the synthesis of DNA, RNA and protein, previously the gold standard in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis) on joint structural damage, compared to methotrexate alone in rheumatoid patients with inadequate response to one or more TNF inhibitors.

The results reveal bone erosions in patients in the rituximab group were reduced by over half during the course of a year compared to patients receiving placebo (erosion scores of 0.59 and 1.32 respectively), as were the narrowing of joint spaces (scores of 0.41 and 0.99 respectively). In addition the proportion of patients with no change in erosion score was significantly higher in the rituximab group compared to placebo.

"These findings suggest that treatment with rituximab plus methotrexate is associated with significant inhibition of joint structural damage, an important finding in patients who do not currently respond to other treatments" explained Professor Edward Keystone, Rheumatology Department at the University of Toronto, Canada, one of the studies principle investigators. "Stopping joint damage indicates that the disease pathway has been interrupted, a goal we strive for in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. As such, today's results have the potential to offer many patients a new hope".

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