At the annual Congress of the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR 2024) in Singapore, the R-Pharm Group hosted a symposium focused on its innovative drug olokizumab, marketed as Artlegia. The symposium centered on the direct inhibition of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in rheumatoid arthritis, discussing clinical data and future applications of the drug. Additionally, R-Pharm delivered an oral presentation on the treatment of polyarticular arthritis in children and presented seven posters on the scientific aspects of olokizumab and goflikicept.
Olokizumab is the world’s first monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that targets the cytokine IL-6 rather than its receptor. The drug is registered in Russia, as well as in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus, and is included in the clinical guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis and the list of vital and essential medicines (VEM).
APLAR President Tsutomu Takeuchi, Honorary Professor at Keio University and President of Saitama Medical University, highlighted the unique mechanism of action of olokizumab and presented results from phase two studies. He emphasized the critical role of the tumor necrosis factor IL-6 axis in the majority of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Josef Smolen, former President of EULAR and Honorary Professor of Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna, reviewed the findings from the international CREDO clinical research program on olokizumab. He concluded that olokizumab is a promising new drug with an alternative mechanism of action for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, based on long-term assessments of its efficacy and safety.
Moscow’s Chief Rheumatologist, Alena Zagrebtseva, shared insights from the nationwide experience of using olokizumab in routine clinical practice and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Real-world clinical practice has shown the drug to be highly effective in achieving disease control.
“The APLAR 2024 Congress in Singapore is a key platform for engaging with specialists from the Asia-Pacific region. This year, it brought together over 1,900 rheumatologists from more than 35 countries. We are encouraged by the optimism of leading international experts regarding the future of olokizumab. Our company is committed to expanding its immunology portfolio to help more people with autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases,” said Kira Ivanova, Vice President of R-Pharm for Brand Development.