ZURICH (Reuters) - New data from the second multinational late-stage trial of tocilizumab (Actemra; Roche), a new monoclonal antibody, confirmed the drug significantly improves disease signs and symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Wednesday
The "TOWARD" study successfully reached its primary endpoint, with a larger proportion of patients treated with Actemra in combination with older drugs showing reduced symptoms compared to the those on traditional treatments alone.
Data from the trial will be submitted for presentation at international scientific meetings later this year and in 2008.
TOWARD is the second of five late-stage trials of Actemra, administered with two other drugs, due to report later this year. The first trial results, announced in January 2007, also found that Actemra met its primary endpoint.
Actemra works in a different way compared with established drugs targeting tumour necrosis factor (TNF) such as Amgen Inc.'s Enbrel, Johnson & Johnson's Remicade and Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s Humira.
The product is also expected to be discussed in detail by arthritis experts at the annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona later this month.
(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London)
