New Analysis Shows Efficacy of SIMPONI(TM) (golimumab) in Anti-TNF Experienced Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
June 09 2009 - 6:04PM
PR Newswire (US)
Anti-TNF Experienced Patients Demonstrated Improvement With
Every-Four-Week Subcutaneous SIMPONI Despite Previous Medication or
Reason for Discontinuation COPENHAGEN, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- A new
analysis demonstrated that a greater proportion of patients with
moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had
prior treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha agents
and received subcutaneous injections of SIMPONI(TM) (golimumab)
once every four weeks experienced significant improvements in signs
and symptoms through week 24, compared with patients receiving
placebo. Patients continued to receive stable doses of
methotrexate, sulfasalazine and/or hydroxychloroquine if receiving
them at baseline. These data were presented at the 2009 European
League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual Congress. Findings from
the GOlimumab After Former anti-TNF Therapy Evaluated in RA
(GO-AFTER) study, demonstrated that patients previously treated
with adalimumab, etanercept or infliximab responded to and
tolerated SIMPONI regardless of the type of prior anti-TNF therapy,
as well as the number of prior therapies or reason for
discontinuation. According to the study, 39 percent of patients
receiving SIMPONI whose prior anti-TNF-alpha therapy had been
discontinued due to a lack of efficacy achieved at least a 20
percent improvement in arthritis symptoms (ACR 20) at week 14,
compared with 18 percent of patients receiving placebo (p