Durability of therapeutic response in rheumatoid arthritis: clinical trial experience with abatacept

Abstract

The chronic, progressive nature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) demands long-term treatment with therapies able to reduce disease activity, prevent progressive destruction of joints and restore quality of life, and also to maintain these responses over the long term. However, many established RA therapies are unable to consistently maintain initial clinical responses, highlighting the need for additional treatment options that deliver sustainable responses. Emerging clinical trial data for abatacept provides further insight into the durability of this agent; evidence from Phase III trials in biologic-naive patients and those with an inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists has demonstrated that abatacept provides significant and sustained benefits over 2 years across a range of clinical, radiographic and quality-of-life end points, with a consistent and acceptable safety and tolerability profile. These findings suggest that abatacept is a valuable addition to the RA treatment paradigm, and ...