New Drug Shows Promise for Rheumatoid Arthriitis

Small, early study finds few long-term side effects

Related Encyclopedia • Alzheimer's Disease • Arthritis • Arthroscopy & Arthroscopic Surgery • Autoimmune Diseases and Disorders More... Related Healthscout Videos Custom Ankle Replacements Shutting Down Tremor. Disaster Heart Attacks Teaching Old Docs New Tricks More... Related Animations • Alzheimer's Disease Video Animation • Erectile Dysfunction • Rheumatoid Arthritis • What is a Heart Attack? More... Related Drug Information • Actonel • Coumadin • Detrol LA • Ditropan XL More... Related News Articles • Hip Fracture Risk in Women Increases With Age • All Ages at Risk for H1N1 Complications • Diabetes Slows Alzheimer's Memory Loss? • U.S. Children Short on Vitamin D More...

FRIDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis reduces joint inflammation in severe cases while causing only mild to moderate side effects, according to a report from the first clinical trial of the drug on humans.

Masitinib, which is being developed by AB Science pharmaceuticals, is supposed to halt the activity of mast cells, a part of the immune system believed to be involved in the start and progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

Text Continues Below

---

The results of the French trial, involving 43 people with arthritis that other treatments had failed to help, appears online in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

"We are encouraged from this study that masitinib not only appears to be effective, but that within the first three months of treatment, the worst of its side effects were over, possibly making it suitable for long-term treatment regimens," one of the researchers, Olivier Hermine, said in a news release from the journal's publisher. The next step will be placebo-controlled trials, he added.

More information

The Arthritis Foundation has more about rheumatoid arthritis.

-- Kevin McKeever