Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently announced that Kevzara (sarilumab), a treatment for adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not responded well to one or more disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD), has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"In the clinical trial program, sarilumab demonstrated statistically significant, clinically-meaningful improvements in adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis by reducing signs and symptoms, improving physical function, and resulting in significantly less radiographic progression of structural damage of RA," Dr. Alan Kivitz, founder and medical director of the Altoona Center for Clinical Research and Altoona Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, said in a statement.
RA, a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, attacks the tissues of joints and can cause intense pain and eventual joint damage and disability. It affects roughly 1.3 million Americans.
"Despite the many advances made in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, patients continue to need new treatment options," Sanofi CEO Olivier Brandicourt said in a statement. "Today's approval in the U.S. not only underscores our ongoing commitment to making a difference in the lives of patients, but also demonstrates our drive to accelerate science and medicine in immunology."
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