Study: Remicade Effective Against Psoriatic Arthritis

The drug Remicade has produced encouraging results in allieviating the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, according to a study presented March 22 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in San Francisco.

Remicaide is a monoclonal antibody that specifically targets and
irreversibly binds to TNF-alpha on the cell membrane and in the blood.
Overproduction of TNF-alpha is believed to play a role in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

The study involved 101 patients with psoriatic arthritis who either received Remicade with or without methotrexate or a placebo. Positive results were reported in the 39 patients treated with Remicade as measured by the scores of their Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), a scale for assessing the severity and extent of psoriasis. A higher score indicates a more severe level of psoriasis.

The average reduction of the PASI was 81 percent in the Remicade group compared to an average increase of 36 percent in the placebo group. Moreover, 67 percent of the Remicade patients achieved an improvement of at least 75 percent, compared to zero percent of the patients in the placebo group.

Patients given Remicade also experienced improvement in their joints.

Other sources: Centocor