Pfizer Inc.'s Arthritis Pill Tofacitinib Matches Abbott Laboratories's Humira in Final Studies

Pfizer Inc. (PFE)’s experimental pill for rheumatoid arthritis was as effective as Humira from Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and showed no new side effects in study results the company plans to submit for U.S. approval this year. Nine study summaries were released today and will be presented at the American College of Rheumatology conference in Chicago in November. In one trial, both doses of Pfizer’s drug, called tofacitinib, were slightly more effective than Humira across six categories of improvement in symptoms and patient mobility, though the study wasn’t big enough to establish the pill’s superiority.