High-dose of infliximab is best for ankylosing spondylitis says new study

Infliximab has come out top in a study that compares anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (inflammatory arthritis that mainly affects the back).

Published in Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, data from 14 clinical trials that assessed seven treatments in over 17,800 patients was anyalysed.

All treatment regimens were more effective than a placebo (except 3mg/kg infliximab at weeks zero, two and six). But the most effective was 5mg/kg infliximab at weeks zero, two and six.

“Our results suggested that infliximab 5mg/kg at zero, two, six weeks seems to be the best efficacious therapy, while infliximab 3 mg/kg at zero, two, six weeks maybe could not be considered in the future studies.”

It is hoped that researchers and healthcare professionals may now “pay more attention to the comparison of different anti-TNF agents, instead of comparison between anti-TNF agents and placebo”.