Peresolimab Shows Efficacy in Patients With RA

TOPLINE: Stimulation of the PD-1 pathway with the investigational drug peresolimab shows efficacy in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODOLOGY:

Peresolimab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that stimulates human programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1).
Researchers enrolled 98 adults with treatment-resistant, moderate-to-severe RA in the phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Patients were randomly assigned to receive 700 mg of peresolimab, 300 mg of peresolimab, or placebo intravenously once every 4 weeks.
The primary outcome was the change in the Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints based on the C-reactive protein level (DAS28-CRP) from baseline to 12 weeks.

TAKEAWAY:

Only patients taking 700 mg of peresolimab had a significantly greater change in DAS28-CRP, compared with the placebo group after 12 weeks.
The 700-mg group had a greater percentage of ACR20 responses, but not ACR50 or ACR70 responses, compared with placebo.
The safety profiles were similar across the peresolimab and placebo groups.
Peresolimab should be evaluated for its effect on cancer risk because the monoclonal antibody does the opposite of anticancer therapies blocking PD-1 activity.

IN PRACTICE:

This study is too preliminary to have practice application.

STUDY DETAILS:

Jay Tuttle, PhD, of Eli Lilly and Company (San Diego, California) led the research. The study was published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

The trial's small sample size and short timeframe could limit the interpretation of the results.

DISCLOSURES:

Eli Lilly funded the research. Researchers disclosed financial relationships with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and several other pharmaceutical companies.

For more news, follow Medscape on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn

Credit:

Lead image: Dreamstime

Send news tips to news@medscape.net.

Cite this: Investigational PD-1 Receptor Agonist Peresolimab Shows Efficacy in Patients With RA - Medscape - May 17, 2023.

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.

My Alerts