New drug available for a serious form of childhood arthritis

Active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis – a serious form of childhood arthritis – can now be treated by a drug called Ilaris in the EU.

Positive clinical trials led to the European Commission agreeing that Ilaris is available for the treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a disease that can involve spiking fever, rash and arthritis in children as young as two.

The new drug is given via a monthly injection to children who have not responded to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and systemic corticosteroids.

Ilaris was approved in the US in May 2013.