A juvenile idiopathic arthritis study by Swiss drugmaker Novartis shows a potential treatment for the sever condition, the company announced Friday. According to Novartis, the drug, which is generically known as canakinumab, did better than a placebo in a late-stage study measuring system improvements, the Associated Press reported.
Researchers found nearly 84 percent of patients who took the compound, labeled ACZ885, experienced at least a 30 percent improvement in symptoms. Compared to about 10 percent who took the placebo.
Canakinumab is approved in the U.S., the European Union and other markets as a treatment for cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, a group of conditions including joint pain, rash, fever, and fatigue, AP reported.
Novartis presented the finding at the European Pediatric Rheumatology Congress in Bruges, Belgium. John Hohneker, head of development for integrated hospital care at Novartis, told Reuters the data was “outstanding.”
Researchers analyzed data on patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), which is a rare condition marked by possibly life-long and recurrent arthritis flares that can involve a skin rash, fever and joint pain and swelling. SJIA affects less than one child per 100,000.
ACZ885 could become an important treatment option for children with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, said Pierre Quartier of the Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Paris, who was one of the investigators on the study, Reuters reported.
