Axial spondyloarthritis: golimumab shows quality of life promise

The anti-TNF therapy, golimumab, seems to reduce disease activity and increase quality of life for people with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, according to results presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Congress.
Axial spondyloarthritis includes non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis and is a painful and progressive condition that mainly affects the pelvic joints and the spine, causing chronic lower back pain and stiffness.
Researchers found that after 16 weeks of treatment, people given golimumab had greater progress in quality of life and greater improvements in measures of overall work and activity impairment than those given a placebo.
“The burden of disease is similar in axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, and effective suppression of inflammation can result in a considerable improvement of quality of life outcome parameters,” explains Prof Joachim Sieper who is involved in the work. “Such a good effect on disease activity and quality of life was nicely shown in the current study of the TNF-blocker golimumab in nr-axial spondyloarthritis patients compared to the group of patients treated with placebo.”
Previous results found that 71.1% of people treated with golimumab had improved physical function, pain, global disease assessment, spinal stiffness and inflammation.

Next steps
Golimumab is already approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for ankylosing spondylitis under a patient access scheme, but not for non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. NICE is due to make a decision on whether to approve the drug for this condition in September.
And golimumab has been recommended for European approval for the treatment of this condition.

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Image credit: Lisa Redfern