- Researchers say that abatacept, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is also effective at delaying or even preventing the disease in at-risk people.
- The drug, sold under the brand name Orencia, is delivered via weekly injection.
- Researchers say they hope to develop criteria for assessing the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
- The condition is generally treated with medication, physical therapy, and lifestyle interventions.
Researchers in the United Kingdom are reporting that a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may also proactively prevent the disease before it’s diagnosed.
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“In pretty simple terms, the drug reduced the rates of progression to RA by about 80 percent compared to placebo,” explained Dr. Andrew Cope, a lead study author and a professor of rheumatology and head of the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases at King’s College London. “There’s a subset for whom we’re just delaying the disease, but there’s another subset who continued to do well.”
Abatacept, sold under the brand name Orencia, first received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005 and has been used as a treatment for people with moderate to severe RA.
Researchers said they were intrigued to find that the drug – delivered via weekly injection – showed promise as a preventative measure as well. In other words, it could delay the eventual progression to RA or hold it off altogether.
Cope told Medical News Today that it’s critical for clinicians and patients to recognize the early symptoms of RA, so they might be able to take steps to prevent it from getting worse.
“It’s crucial for physicians to understand and down the line for the regulators to understand as well…
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