Zeroing in on B cells in RA

Biologic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis have mainly focused on anti-TNF therapies, three of which are marketed, and Kineret anakinra, an interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist from Amgen Inc. But with positive clinical results for two B cell-related candidates last week, it looks like physicians are now likely to have a new set of treatment options.

Biogen Idec Inc. announced that its Rituxan rituximab chimeric monoclonal antibody against CD20 met the primary endpoint of ACR 20 response in a Phase III trial in RA patients who had inadequate response or were intolerant to anti-TNF therapies. Rituxan is marketed to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) by BIIB (Cambridge, Mass.), Genentech Inc. (DNA, South San Francisco, Calif.) and Roche (SWX:ROCZ, Basel, Switzerland). ...