Washington, U.S. -- Data presented at this year's American College of Rheumatology Congress (ACR) show that patients receiving repeat treatment with MabThera/Rituxan (rituximab) achieved continued improvement in both physical and mental aspects of quality of life measures. In addition, a higher proportion of patients achieved a significant improvement in disease symptoms with a second course of MabThera, compared to the first course they received.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Keystone, University of Toronto, Canada said; "With further analyses, we are able to evaluate just what MabThera can deliver with subsequent treatment courses for patients who have an inadequate response or intolerance to one or more TNF inhibitors. Patients are telling us they feel better and their quality of life has improved significantly; this is supported by clinical outcomes."

RA is one of the most common forms of autoimmune disease which affects more than 21 million people worldwide, with as many as 3 million sufferers in Europe alone. Currently up to 40 per cent of people with RA who are treated with biologic therapies such as TNF inhibitors, do not have satisfactory outcomes.

Study results: patient reported outcomes In 156 patients with an inadequate response to treatment with TNF inhibitors:

• Patients reported an improvement in the mental component of quality of life measures after the first course of MabThera with further improvement following a second course (SF-363 scores increased from 4.8 to 8.7, following the first and second courses respectively)
• The physical component of quality of life measures also increased following a second course of treatment, suggesting patients physical ability continues to improve with repeated treatment (SF-363 increased from 6.4 to 7.8 at 24 weeks following the first and second treatment courses respectively)
• Patient questionnaires showed that repeated treatment allowed them to better perform daily tasks (more than two thirds of patients reported a decrease in HAQ-DI4 score after each treatment course).

All comparisons of change were made relative to patients' baseline values prior to treatment with MabThera.

Study results: efficacy Data presented from an ongoing extension study in patients with prior exposure to one or more TNF inhibitors demonstrated the long-term efficacy of repeated courses of MabThera. At 24 weeks following a subsequent course of treatment with MabThera, patients continued to show clinical improvements in their RA symptoms, measured using the standard ACR assessment, compared to outcomes after their first course of treatment:

• 72 percent achieved ACR20 after a subsequent course, versus 65 percent after the first course
• 42 percent achieved ACR50 after a subsequent course, versus 33 percent after the first course and
• 21 percent achieved ACR70 after a subsequent course, versus 12 percent after the first course

Furthermore, a greater number of patients achieved low disease activity (25% vs 13%) and remission2 (13% vs 6%), after a subsequent treatment course of MabThera.

Inhibition of joint structural damage Further analyses of the 56 week radiographic data presented previously, have confirmed the positive impact of MabThera treatment in inhibiting structural damage to joints. Damage to the structure of the joints ultimately causes joint destruction and contributes to joint deformity and loss of mobility. MabThera provides the first evidence of inhibition of radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis patients with an inadequate response1 to one or more TNF inhibitors.

The extensive MabThera data presented at the American College of Rheumatology this year provides the opportunity for optimising therapy for patients who have previously not achieved satisfactory outcomes in managing their disease.