Strong RA data for Abbott's Humira + MTX

According to new data presented at a meeting of the British Society for Rheumatology, US health care major Abbott Laboratories' Humira (adalimumab), in combination with methotrexate (MTX), halted the progress of rheumatoid arthritis in more than 174,000 UK patients versus standard MTX monotherapy.

The findings, from the PREMIER study, indicate that 29% more patients exhibit no further joint damage when taking the combination than those using MTX alone (72% vs 43%). Patients on both drugs also reported significantly greater improvements in their physical functions and a reduction in their level of fatigue, which is often cited as a critical quality of life issue for RA sufferers.

Abbott noted that Humira is the first fully-human monoclonal antibody available in Europe for RA, and the first tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist approved for this indication for use with either MTX or as monotherapy.