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Biotech / Medical : Indications -- Psoriasis/Chronic Inflammation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: scaram(o)uche who wrote (297)	10/29/2002 10:22:24 AM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 631

[ anti-IL-6R MAb/Chugai/RA ] Chugai drug shows promise in rheumatoid arthritis Tuesday October 29, 9:27 am ET ZURICH, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Preliminary clinical trials suggest Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd's (Tokyo:4519.T - News) MRA drug shows promise in treating the crippling disease rheumatoid arthritis, the Japanese drugmaker said on Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT MRA is a monoclonal antibody that was created by Osaka University and Chugai, a separately listed unit of Swiss-based Roche Holding AG (ROCZg.VX). A phase II clinical trial of 164 patients showed people taking the drug were much more likely to have reduced joint pain and joint swelling than those taking a placebo, it said, adding the drug also had an acceptable safety profile. "In the near future, we plan to proceed with development in Europe as well as preparations to enter Phase III clinical trials in Japan," it said in a statement. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a severely disabling disease that affects some 5.8 million people around the world. It causes joint inflammation and erodes bones. The Chugai news follows separate trials that indicate cancer drug MabThera -- whose rights are owned jointly by Roche, Genentech Inc (NYSE:DNA - News) and Idec (NasdaqNM:IDPH - News) -- is as safe and effective as existing RA drugs but cheaper and simpler to take. Results from trials for both drugs were presented at the American College of Rheumatology conference in the United States.