A new experimental drug is displaying promising results from the last phase of human clinical trials. Part of a new class of drugs called JAK-inhibitors, the new drug targets people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and is hoped to be approved by the FDA within the next 12 months.
The JAK family consists of four closely related molecules: JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and TYK2, which play a pivotal role in facilitating cellular inflammatory signals. Over the past decade a new class of drugs known as JAK inhibitors have been in development as prospective treatments for a number of different immune-meditated diseases, from eczema to inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's.
Back in 2011/12, two JAK inhibitors initially hit the market. These first-generation iterations have been found to be somewhat effective but their lack of specificity can trigger a variety of negative side effects. The latest generation of JAK inhibitors are now reaching the final stages of human clinical trials. Designed to more narrowly inhibit individual JAK molecules, these new drugs are hoped to be more effective with fewer adverse effects.
Filgotinib is a JAK inhibitor that selectively targets the JAK1 enzyme. It is primarily being investigated to treat rheumatoid arthritis but initial clinical trials have shown promise treating both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. After years of development scientists are this week publishing some of the first results from the final Phase 3 human trials into the efficacy of the new drug, ahead of an FDA application to move the drug to market by 2020.
The results are certainly promising, with over 40 percent of subjects on the highest dose of filgotinib reporting "low disease activity" after 12 weeks, compared to only around 15 percent reporting similar effects on a placebo. By 24 weeks of use this success rate had increased to nearly 50 percent. Even more impressively, 30 percent of the high-dose filgotinib group achieved full disease remission after 24 weeks, compared to just 12 percent on placebo.
More details of this news over at New Atlas.
(Image Credit: IAOM-US/ Pixabay)