New Therapy Effective for Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis

Newswise — Alefacept plus methotrexate treatment yielded encouraging results for the treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

Alefacept is a novel biologic drug that works by selectively depleting certain T cells (memory-effector T cells) thought to be important in causing the immune disturbance in rheumatoid arthritis. The effectiveness of alefacept was assessed in a 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 36 patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis at two different doses combined with methotrexate and compared to treatment results with methotrexate alone. Patients were randomized to receive a 3.75 mg or 7.5 mg dose of alefacept or the placebo, which was administered intravenously once a week for 12 weeks. Patients were observed for an additional 12 weeks. Using a tool to measure the standard criteria of disease activity developed by the American College of Rheumatology (known as the ACR 20, 50, 70), patient improvement scores were assessed at 14 weeks and at 24 weeks. Investigators found that 67% of patients receiving alefacept at either dose had improvement in their arthritis at any point in time compared with only 17% of patients on methotrexate alone.

"Alefacept in combination with methotrexate offers new promise of relief for rheumatoid arthritis patients suffering with their disease. A single 12-week course of alefacept can provide sustained improvement for up to six months," said Matthias Schneider, MD, Professor of Medicine, Clinic for Nephrology and Rheumatology, Heinrich-Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany, and an investigator in the study. "This is the first study to support targeting memory-effector T cells as an effective treatment for inflammatory synovitis."

The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization for rheumatologists and health professionals who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability and curing arthritis and related rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. For more information on the ACR's annual meeting, see http://www.rheumatology.org.