SAN DIEGO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/16/2005 -- New data, including two-year treatment duration, show a significantly higher proportion of patients with active psoriatic arthritis receiving REMICADE® (infliximab) achieved and sustained a high degree of clinical improvement in arthritis, as assessed using the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) definition for “major clinical response,” compared with patients receiving placebo. “Major clinical response” is defined as maintenance of a 70 percent improvement in the American College of Rheumatology score (ACR 70) for six continuous months. REMICADE maintenance therapy also resulted in the inhibition of structural damage and significant improvements in functional status and quality of life as maintained over the course of one year. Investigators will present these long-term Phase 2 and 3 study findings this week at the American College of Rheumatology 2005 Annual Scientific Meeting. REMICADE is currently indicated for reducing signs and symptoms of active arthritis in patients with psoriatic arthritis. “Previous study findings have shown the rapidity and therapeutic intensity of infliximab in treating the joint and skin manifestations associated with active psoriatic arthritis,” said Arthur Kavanaugh, MD, Director, Center for Innovative Therapy, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, University of California, San Diego, and lead study investigator. “These data demonstrate the rapid efficacy of infliximab can be sustained over time, especially as it relates to the arthritic component of this complex disease.”
