COPENHAGEN, June 17 -- Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis continued to respond to abatacept (Orencia) for up to 30 months, researchers said here.
Nearly 75% of juvenile arthritis patients receiving abatacept for 21 months in the extension phase of a randomized trial had at least 70% improvement in symptoms (ACR Pedi 70), reported Nicolino Ruperto, MD, MPH, of the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization in Genoa, Italy.
"Patients maintained or improved clinical benefit with long-term [abatacept] treatment" regardless of their status in the earlier phases of the study, he said in a presentation here at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) annual meeting.
The trial had initially begun with a four-month open-label treatment involving 190 children (mean age 12) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Participants had active polyarticular disease that had not responded adequately to at least one disease-modifying or another biologic drug.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EULAR/14744?impressionId=1245750336378