The Word Health Organisation estimates that 23.7 million people worldwide
suffer from RA
An
FDA advisory committee has recommended for approval Pfizer’s new rheumatoid
arthritis treatment tofacitinib.
The Arthritis Advisory Committee voted 8-2 to recommend approval of the
drug for adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis
(RA). This recommendation now looks likely to lead to a full approval,
which is expected in August. The drug is also currently under review in Europe and Japan.
Pfizer hopes the drug could eventually become the first choice drug for
treating RA, and topple Abbott’s current market leader Humira.
Analysts say tofacitinib could hit peak sales of $2-3 billion a year. If approved, tofacitinib would be the first new oral disease-modifying
anti-rheumatic drug (or DMARD) for RA in more than 10 years, and the first in a
new class known as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors.