Roche's MabThera more effective than repeat TNF blocker

New data presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress of Rheumatology, held in Paris, France, calls into question the practice of putting rheumatoid arthritis patients onto a second tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy when they do not respond to the first one.

The study was conducted among 300 patients who had previously not responded to anti-TNF treatment. It analyzed the improvement in the disease activity score (DAS28) of patients on Roche's MabThera (rituximab) compared to those on an alternative TNF inhibitor. Data at six months showed that the Swiss drug major's drug achieved a significantly larger reduction in disease activity (DAS28) than a subsequent TNF inhibitor in patients who had interrupted TNF inhibitor therapy due to lack of efficacy (reduction in DAS28 by 1.55 versus 1.03).