Simcere Pharmaceutical has recently announced seven study results regarding its Class 1 innovative drug Iremod® (Iguratimod Tablets) at the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR Annual Meeting), including results from the study investigating the novel combination therapies of Iremod® in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and a basic study targeting hundreds of millions of patients with osteoarthritis (OA).
OA is one of the most common chronic joint diseases and one of the most common causes of musculoskeletal pain and disability. It has been reported that there are more than 300 million OA patients worldwide, and the overall prevalence of primary OA among people aged above 40 in China has reached 46.3%1. Cartilage damage is the pathological basis of OA, but there is a lack of study on the cartilage protection mechanism. Positive results have been achieved from related basic studies supported by Simcere Pharmaceutical, which are expected to provide new treatment options for patients with OA in China.
As one of the most important international conferences in rheumatology and immunology, EULAR 2023 was held in Milan, Italy from May 31 to Jun. 3, 2023. The seven post-market study results released at the prestigious academic meeting mark a milestone of Iremod® in the persist support of clinical and basic studies in the academic community. For 11 years on the market, more than one million RA patients have benefited from Iremod®, including more than 300,000 patients in 2022 alone. In the future, exploration of Iremod® in autoimmune area, and the exploration for new autoimmune therapies as well as application scenarios in China will be continued to benefit more patients.
New combination regimen to protect joints and bones
The selected papers focus primarily on the feasibility of using Iguratimod alone or in combination with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in RA-induced secondary osteoporosis, RA-related interstitial pneumonia, active axial spondyloarthritis, knee OA, and systemic sclerosis.
POS0846
EFFICACY, SAFETY, AND RECURRENCE OF IGURATIMOD COMBINED WITH CSDMARDS TREATMENT IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PROSPECTIVE REAL-WORLD STUDY
POS1015
A NOVEL DRUG COMBINATION OF IGURATIMOD AND TOFACITINIB ALLEVIATES RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND SECONDARY OSTEOPOROSIS
AB0309
CLINICAL EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF TOFACITINIB COMBINED WITH IGURATIMOD FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-ASSOCIATED USUAL INTERSTITIAL PNEUMONIA4
Axial spondylarthritis-real world data and a meta-analysis of axial spondylarthritis
Given the overlap in pathological mechanisms between RA and spondylarthritis, Iguratimod has been considered to be potentially effective for axial spondylarthritis. Through a study on the real world data from China and a meta-analysis, the two studies presented at EULAR further consolidate the evidence of Iguratimod in the treatment of axial spondylarthritis in the framework of evidence-based medicine, promising better treatment strategies with additional benefits for patients.
AB0971
EFFECTIVENESS OF IGURATIMOD IN THE TREATMENT OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS-REAL WORLD DATA FROM CHINA
AB0946
A META-ANALYSIS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF IGURATIMOD ON ACTIVITY AX-SPA
A basic study targeting hundreds of millions of OA patients
OA is a leading cause of disability in bones and joints. Cartilage damage is the pathological basis of OA, but there is a lack of clinically available therapeutic agents that can protect cartilage. A basic study on the cartilage protection in osteoarthritis has verified the mechanism of cartilage protection through TRPV4 regulation, which is expected to provide new therapeutic options for osteoarthritis.
POS0399
THE ION CHANNEL TRPV4 PARTICIPATES IN THE CARTILAGE PROTECTION OF IGURATIMOD ON KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
A new alternative therapy for systemic sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis, an autoimmune disease with the highest mortality rate, often severely affects the quality of life of patients by causing serious complications that are not directly fatal. A study announced at this EULAR has provided preliminary evidence for the efficacy of Iguratimod as an alternative treatment option for systemic sclerosis and revealed for the first time its potential efficacy in the prevention of ischemic finger ulcers, providing a more effective treatment strategy in clinical practice.
POS1267
IGURATIMOD AS AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS AND PREVENTION OF ISCHEMIC DIGITAL ULCER OCCURRENCE
The Iremod® study results announced at EULAR 2023 have provided more directions for clinical autoimmunity studies and new potential benefits for patients in China. Simcere Pharmaceutical will keep investing in autoimmunity study and work with more experts and scholars to explore new treatment options that can benefit more patients and meet more unmet clinical needs.