[reprinted from Reuters]
June 15 (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY.N) and Alder Biopharmaceuticals said on Tuesday that a mid-stage trial of their experimental arthritis drug met its goal, supporting further development of the drug.
The molecule, known as BMS-945429/ALD518, is an antibody designed to target a protein called interleukin-6 as a potential treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
The 16-week study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the drug in 132 patients with rheumatoid arthritis which was inadequately controlled with the drug methotrexate.
All three studied doses significantly improved symptoms at week 12. After 16 weeks, 75 percent to 82 percent of patients had at least a 20 percent improvement, compared with 36 percent of subjects receiving placebo, the drug companies said.
Increased levels of liver enzymes were seen in 17 percent of treated patients, causing four patients to drop out of the study.
The companies said the data will be presented on Friday at the Annual Congress of the European League against Rheumatism.
(Reporting by Deena Beasley, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
Dx'd AS (seronegative spondylarthopathy), Fibromyalgia 8/2007
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