Gilead Sciences Inc. and Galapagos NV's potential psoriatic arthritis treatment filgotinib showed an improvement in the signs and symptoms of the disease in a phase 2 trial.
Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory form of arthritis — an inflammation of the joints — affecting up to 30% of patients with psoriasis, a disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin.
The drug, which inhibits an enzyme called Janus kinase 1, or JAK1, was being evaluated versus placebo in the trial called Equator in 131 adults with moderate to severe psoriatic arthritis.
Results from the study showed that 80% of the patients on filgotinib saw symptoms of their disease improve by 20% after 16 weeks of treatment, compared to 33% of patients on placebo.
In addition, 48% of the patients on filgotinib saw an improvement of 50% in their disease, compared with 15% of patients on placebo, and a 70% improvement was seen in 23% of patients on filgotinib versus 6% on placebo.
While the drug was generally well-tolerated, the companies added that one patient in the filgotinib group died of pneumonia and another patient developed herpes zoster.
Separately, the companies said a data monitoring committee analyzing a phase 2b/3 ulcerative colitis study of filgotinib recommended that the study should proceed into the phase 3 stage. The companies said 350 patients have completed the induction period in the phase 2b portion of the study, named Selection.
As a result of the study's progression into the phase 3 stage, Mechelen, Belgium-based Galapagos will receive a $15 million payment from Gilead Sciences.
Foster City, Calif.-based Gilead Sciences and Galapagos have entered a global collaboration to jointly commercialize filgotinib for various inflammatory diseases.
The JAK1 inhibitor is currently undergoing trials for other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.
Other JAK1 inhibitors currently being developed for inflammatory diseases include AbbVie Inc.'s upadacitinib as well as Eli Lilly and Co. and Incyte Corp.'s baricitinib, with Pfizer Inc.'s Xeljanz already available in the market.
