Abatacept in the long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Evaluation of: Kremer JM, Russell AS, Emery P et al. Long-term safety, efficacy and inhibition of radiographic progression with abatacept treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and an inadequate response to methotrexate: 3-year results from the AIM trial. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 70(10), 1826–1830 (2011).

The last decade has been an era of exciting and innovative therapeutic targets in the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. One such treatment that acts by disrupting T-cell activation is abatacept, which is currently used in patients who have had an inadequate clinical response to traditional disease-modifying drugs or anti-TNF therapies. As newer therapies emerge, issues that need addressing include: long-term drug tolerance, adverse events, sustained clinical response, prevention of progression in structural damage and retention rates. In this article we discuss a recently published paper by Kremer et al. that reported 3-year data on safety, efficacy and radiographic progression in patients enrolled in a clinical trial of abatacept, as well as the advantages and limitations of long-term extension studies.

Keywords::

• abatacept
• biologics
• CTLA-4
• efficacy
• rheumatoid arthritis
• T-cell activation

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.