Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and progressive destruction of joints

New Delhi: Drug firm Eli Lilly and Company Thursday said it has entered the autoimmune segment in India with launch of Olumiant, a new once-daily oral therapy for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Olumiant is approved in more than 50 countries across the world, it said.

Olumiant™ (baricitinib) is a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe active Rheumatoid Arthritis who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Olumiant™ may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate. Olumiant™ will be available in India starting October 2018 in 4mg and 2mg dosage forms. Olumiant™ is approved in more than 50 countries across the world.

Despite the multiple options available for Rheumatoid Arthritis, there still exists an unmet need. More than half of the patients with moderate-to-severe Rheumatoid Arthritis do not experience remission through conventional DMARDs.

In clinical studies, Olumiant™ has demonstrated statistically significant improvements in a number of outcome measures including patient reported outcomes at various time points with rapid onset of action and sustained efficacy as well as superiority to standard of care at ACR* 20 and DAS* 28 at 12 weeks.

He added, “People with Rheumatoid Arthritis continue to struggle with the debilitating effects of the disease, endure pain and do not achieve disease management goals. This can lead to long-term joint damage and even disability. Olumiant™ is an effective, advanced once-daily oral treatment option for people suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis who have not responded well to conventional DMARDs. In clinical trials, Olumiant™ has proven efficacy and demonstrated rapid and significant improvement in patient related outcomes such as pain, fatigue and joint stiffness. It is important for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis to have multiple treatment options available to best suit their disease characteristics and experience.”

The product will be available in India in 4mg and 2mg dosage forms, the company said.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and progressive destruction of joints. Approximately three times as many women as men have the disease⁴. Current treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis includes the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) — such as methotrexate, and injectable, biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) that target selected mediators implicated in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Despite current treatment options, many patients do not reach their therapeutic goals. There remains an important need to provide additional treatment options to improve overall patient care.

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