Roche's Actemra impresses in RA study

Swiss drug major Roche says that its developmental rheumatoid arthritis treatment Actemra (tocilizumab) met its primary safety and efficacy endpoints in a Phase III trial in patients with moderate-to-severe forms of the disease.

During the trial, known as AMBITION, patients were randomized to receive either 8mg/kg of intravenous Actemra every four weeks, or a monthly placebo infusion plus weekly methotrexate, for a period of 24 weeks. The results showed that a greater proportion of patients treated with Roche's drug achieved symptom improvement on the American College of Rheumatology scale than those given methotrexate alone.

William Burns, chief executive of Roche's pharmaceuticals division, said that "the trial demonstrates Actemra's safety and efficacy [and reinforces] the role of IL-6 receptor inhibition in RA."