RhuDex™ – oral treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
RhuDexTM is a compound that is primarily intended to be used as a drug for the treatment of RA. Active Biotech has entered into a licensing agreement with the German pharmaceutical company MediGene AG, which grants MediGene the exclusive right to further develop and market the product. Phase II clinical trials were concluded in 2008. In December 2009, MediGene announced that further preclinical studies were to be conducted in 2010 to optimize the continued clinical development program. Clinical trials are expected to be resumed at the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011.
Rheumatoid arthritis
RA - Rheumatoid Arthritis – is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the body’s joints and causes inflammations in synovial membranes and tendon sheaths. The inflammation can damage articular cartilage and surrounding skeletal areas, which means that the patient can eventually be affected by a physically debilitating handicap. The disease can begin at any age, but most often starts after age forty and before sixty. Of those affected, approximately two of three are women. The disease affects more than 1 percent of the global population, can be found throughout the world and is equally as common on all continents. Medical treatment consists primarily of pain-alleviating and anti-inflammatory treatment. Currently, the cause of RA is unknown, although there are several theories. In some families, multiple members can be affected, suggesting a genetic basis for the disorder.
Recent research
In 2010 MediGene is going to conduct further preclinical studies with RhuDex, in order to specify the therapeutic window, thus optimizing the clinical development program. Clinical development is expected to be resumed either in the fourth quarter of 2010 or in the first quarter of 2011. Within the scope of its strategic focusing MediGene intends to out-license this immunological drug candidate once clinical proof of concept has been achieved, if not earlier.