Abatacept: New arthritis weapon?

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HEALTH: New arthritis weapon?

http://www.northjersey.com/

THE QUESTION: Might a drug approved in December for rheumatoid arthritis

offer relief to those who have not found success with methotrexate, a

commonly prescribed medication?

THIS STUDY involved 652 adults who had had rheumatoid arthritis an average

of nine years but whose disease remained active despite their having taken

methotrexate for at least three months.

They were randomly assigned to be given abatacept or a placebo intravenously

once a month; all participants continued taking methotrexate.

After a year, symptoms overall had been reduced in 73 percent of those

taking abatacept, compared with 40 percent of the placebo group, and the

ability to function physically had improved in 64 percent of the abatacept

group, vs. 39 percent of the others. X-rays showed that joint damage had

slowed among abatacept users.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? People with rheumatoid arthritis,

which is characterized by inflammation of the lining of the joints, causing

chronic pain and stiffness.

CAVEATS: The findings may not apply to people who have had the disease for a

shorter period of time or who have not already used methotrexate. Any

effects from long-term use of abatacept remain unclear. The study was funded

by Bristol-Myers Squibb, which developed the drug; the company helped design

the study and analyze the data. Of the 11 authors, six received fees from

the pharmaceutical company, and three were its employees.

FIND THIS STUDY: June 20 issue of ls of Internal Medicine; abstract

available online at an nals.org.

LEARN MORE about rheumatoid arthritis at arthritis.org and niams

..nih.gov/hi.