New treatment XELJANZ for rheumatoid arthritis approved in Singapore
Pfizer announced today the launch of XELJANZ (tofacitinib citrate) in Singapore for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults who have had an inadequate response to existing therapies. XELJANZ is the first approved treatment in a new class of drugs known as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for the treatment of RA.
RA is an autoimmune disorder that typically affects the small joints in hand and feet and occurs when one’s immune system mistakenly attacks the person’s own body tissue. In the case of RA, the lining of joints are affected, causing painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.
Dr Chong Yong Yeow, Specialist in Rheumatology at Raffles Medical Group, said, “RA is a progressive chronic disease. If left untreated, it can lead to serious long-term consequences such as inflamed and painful joints, which may eventually lead to permanent joint damage. In addition, as the disease is systemic autoimmune, other parts of the body such as the eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels can also be affected. It is only through treatment to slow or stop the progression of RA that patients can strive to live a normal life.”
Prof. Roy Fleischmann, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA, said, “Due to advances in medicine and technology, treatment for RA has evolved profoundly from providing symptomatic relief using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain and inflammation to the introduction of biologic therapies.” He added, “XELJANZ, a new class of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, is the first approved Janus kinase inhibitor treatment and has been proven to reduce the signs and symptoms of RA in patients who have failed or are intolerant to methotrexate.”
Rheumatoid Arthritis – A Growing Concern in Asia and Singapore
RA is the most common autoimmune rheumatic disorder in Singapore and affects about 1% of the population, which is equivalent to about 45,000 people. RA can occur at any age, but most commonly begins after the age of 40. As a chronic and potentially disabling disease, RA can place a huge economic and social burden on patients, the healthcare system and the country’s economy.
In Singapore, disease burden from musculoskeletal disease is expected to grow as the demographics of Singapore’s population change. According to the Ministry of Health’s Singapore Burden of Disease Study 2010, there was a 28.5% increase in musculoskeletal disease burden between 2004 and 2010. Coupled with the fact that RA is the largest contributor to the overall burden from musculoskeletal disease and is the twelfth leading cause of overall burden, it is a growing concern in Singapore.
The World Health Organization assesses the economic burden of RA on three levels – direct (such as cost of treatment and social services), indirect (such as loss of income and lost productivity) and intangible (reduction in quality of life) costs. It was revealed that in the United States, the average medical costs associated with RA annually were US$5,720 per patient, out of which in-patient costwas the largest portion.
In Asia-Pacific, costs were similarly high. In Australia, arthritis costs A$24 billion each year in direct healthcare costs, lost productivity, and other indirect and intangible costs. In Korea, the average costof illness for RA is estimated to be KRW 6.45 million (about USD$5,656 as of July 2015) per patient per year. In Hong Kong, the average total cost of RA were estimated at US$9,286 per patient peryear. With the prevalence of RA in Hong Kong being 0.3%, the annual total economic impact of RA on Hong Kong society could be over US$200 million.
The Benefits of New RA Treatment
Despite multiple treatments that are available for RA, there are still patients who do not respond adequately to current therapies, resulting in a need for other treatment options. Approved by the HealthSciences Authority, XELJANZ is a revolutionary way to manage RA as it has a different mechanism of action unlike the biologic therapies. Biologic therapies work outside the cell to target cytokines(proteins produced by cells), which interact with the immune system to regulate the body’s response to disease and infection. This is a different mechanism from XELJANZ, which works inside the cell,to target JAK pathways (intracellular signalling pathways that play a role in the inflammation involved in RA). Unlike other current biologic therapies, XELJANZ is administered orally and requires noinjections or infusions.
Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals
