2024-02-14 19:03:12
The clinical trial of a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis has shown promise in preventing the contraction of this chronic disease which causes painful inflammation of the joints, according to a scientific publication published Tuesday February 13 in the journal “Lancet”.
A discovery capable of changing the daily lives of millions of people. English researchers published on Tuesday February 13 in the journal Lancet, the results evidence from a clinical trial. A vaccine, injected weekly into the stomach or thigh, reduced the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by 80%. If this active ingredient – abatacept – is already prescribed for people suffering from the disease, it would prove effective in slowing the progression of the pathology in people presenting first symptoms, or even stopping it. Scientists welcomed these “promising” results, saying that “it is now possible to prevent the onset of rheumatoid arthritis”.
Improved quality of life
Rheumatoid arthritis is a particularly painful chronic disease. It causes inflammation of the joints and can cause serious damage. According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, 18 million people worldwide suffered from it, more than half of whom are over 55 years old. This pathology can even become disabling, with affected people having difficulty moving around and carrying out daily tasks. Until now, there was no treatment to prevent the disease from contracting. “In the case of proven polyarthritis, abatacept already reduces inflammation,” Professor Xavier Mariette, head of the rheumatology department at Bicêtre hospital (Val-de-Marne), told Libération.
For their clinical trial, the researchers focused on the cases of 213 patients at early risk of rheumatoid arthritis from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. 110 of them received the drug abatacept, and the rest assigned to a placebo group. After twelve months of treatment, 92.8% of the abatacept group had not developed the disease, compared to 69.2% in the second sample. In addition, the people who received the treatment all experienced an improvement in their quality of life, with much less joint pain.
“A revolution”
The drug “would therefore be able to prevent the appearance of true polyarthritis when it is given,” notes Xavier Mariette. Before qualifying: “But as soon as we stop it, the disease develops.” One year following the end of treatment, the difference between the two groups diminished. “As long as the drug is injected, it works very well, but the two curves come together when the treatment is stopped,” analyzes the rheumatologist following reading this study. “So it’s not really what I call preventative treatment. We simply know that if we treat the disease very early, we manage to contain it, but we must continue the treatment for these benefits to persist,” concludes the professor.
One of the authors of this study, Andrew Cope, researcher at King’s College London, quoted by the English-speaking media, is delighted with these “first results” which constitute “good news for people at risk of arthritis”. If Xavier Mariette recognizes that these are “interesting studies”, he warns: “This is not a revolution in the field of polyarthritis.” “Obviously, the solution would be to take the treatment for life, or to test it over a period longer than twelve months,” he adds. A first step forward to improve the daily lives of people affected by this serious illness, but which still needs to be explored.
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