Bristol-Myers Squibb reports positive data from Orencia trial

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced encouraging new data from Ample, a study assessing the benefits of its rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy Orencia.

Year two results from the comparative trial showed that Orencia delivered comparable efficacy to AbbVie's Humira among biologic naive patients with moderate to severe RA, with all participants receiving a background treatment of methotrexate.

Radiographic non-progression at two years was achieved by 85 percent of patients on Bristol-Myers Squibb's drug, compared to 84 percent of those in the other group.

This comes after Orencia met its primary efficacy endpoint of non-inferiority in the trial after one year.

Dr Michael Schiff of the University of Colorado, a principal Ample study investigator, said: "Results from the second year of the Ample study confirm what we saw in year one data: namely, that efficacy was comparable for the two agents in this study.”

Earlier this month, the company received approval from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for Forxiga, the new diabetes therapy it has developed alongside AstraZeneca.