Abatacept, an active ingredient, could slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in adults with the first symptoms.
- Abatacept is an active ingredient that is already prescribed for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
- In the study, 6% of participants who received this treatment developed this chronic inflammatory disease, compared to 29% in the placebo group.
- Additionally, this active ingredient improved pain scores, functional well-being and quality of life measures.
Painful stiffness, swelling of the joints, fatigue, loss of appetite… These symptoms can indicate rheumatoid arthritis, namely a chronic inflammatory disease. Until now, there is no cure or preventive treatment for this pathology. To suppress, reduce flare-ups and control joint destruction, an active ingredient, called “abatacept”, is used as a second or third line treatment for people with proven rheumatoid arthritis. The latter is administered by weekly injections at home or in hospital by infusion.
110 people received abatacept for one year
In a recent study, researchers from King’s College London (England) wanted to know if this active ingredient could prevent the progression of the disease in adults considered at risk. “People with serum antibodies to citrullinated protein antigens, rheumatoid factor, and symptoms, such as inflammatory joint pain, are at high risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis,” they recalled.
For the purposes of their work, published in the journal The Lancet, the team recruited 213 patients at high risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis between December 22, 2014 and January 14, 2019. Participants had early symptoms, such as joint pain but not joint swelling. As part of the intervention, 110 volunteers received abatacept and 103 adults received a placebo for one year. After treatment, the scientists followed them for an additional 12 months.
Rheumatoid arthritis: only 6% of treated adults developed the disease
According to the results, 6% of people treated with abatacept developed rheumatoid arthritis, compared to 29% in the placebo group. After 24 months, the differences were still significant, with a total of 25% of participants having progressed to this chronic inflammatory disease in the group that received the active ingredient, compared to 37% in the placebo group.
The authors found that abatacept was associated with improvements in pain scores, functional well-being, and quality of life measures, as well as decreases in joint wall inflammation scores detectable by ultrasound. “However, the effects were not maintained beyond 24 months. Seven serious adverse events occurred in people who received abatacept,” can we read in the research.
“This is the largest rheumatoid arthritis prevention trial to date and the first to show that a therapy approved for the treatment of established rheumatoid arthritis is also effective in preventing the onset of the disease in people at risk. (…) This is promising news for the NHS, as the disease affects people as they age and its treatment will become increasingly expensive as the population ages. concluded the professor Andrew Copelead author of the study.
