London,January 21,2024 – A year of treatment with the drug abatacept can delay the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by as much as four years,even *after* the treatment stops,according to a new study. Imagine telling someone facing a future of joint pain and disability that they could potentially postpone that reality for years-that’s the promise of this research.
Early Intervention Offers Lasting Relief for At-Risk Individuals
A new study reveals that preemptive treatment for those at high risk of rheumatoid arthritis can substantially delay disease onset and improve quality of life.
- Treating individuals at high risk of RA with abatacept for one year can delay the disease’s onset by up to four years.
- The benefits of treatment persist even after the 12-month course is completed.
- Abatacept was most effective in those with detectable autoantibodies, indicating a higher risk of developing RA.
- The drug reduced symptoms like joint pain and fatigue during treatment, though symptom control waned after stopping.
- The study found no new safety concerns associated with abatacept.
What does this mean for people worried about developing rheumatoid arthritis? This research, published in The Lancet, represents a significant step forward in our understanding of RA and offers a potential new approach to managing the disease. It is one of the long-term studies of its kind.
Professor Andrew Cope, Professor of Rheumatology in the Center for Rheumatic Diseases at King’s College London and lead author of the study, emphasized the importance of these findings. “Intervening early in people at high risk of RA can have lasting benefits. We have shown that this approach is safe and can prevent disease while patients are on treatment and also substantially relieve symptoms. Importantly, it can also delay the onset of RA for several years, even after treatment has stopped. This could reduce how long people live with symptoms and complications, drastically improving their quality of life.”
Identifying Those Who Benefit Most
The study revealed that abatacept was especially effective in individuals identified as being at the highest risk of developing RA through a blood test detecting specific autoantibodies. These participants, while facing the greatest likelihood of progressing to RA, also experienced the most significant benefits from early intervention.
During the at-risk phase,abatacept treatment reduced symptoms like joint pain and fatigue and improved overall wellbeing. However, once treatment ceased, symptom levels returned to similar levels between the treatment and placebo groups, suggesting that ongoing immune modulation might be necessary to maintain symptom control.
Researchers found no new safety concerns with abatacept, reporting similar rates of serious adverse events in both the treatment and placebo groups.
The researchers suggest these findings support further examination into preventive approaches for autoimmune disease, demonstrating the potential of early, targeted immune treatment to delay RA in those at highest risk.
