Patients from 45 Russian regions will soon the domestic drug Seniprutug for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, TASS reports. Its development was carried out by the Russian company Biocad together with scientists of the Russian National Research Medical University of Pirogov and the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry named after academicians M.M. Shemyakin and Yu. A. Ovchinnikov. Seniprutug is the world’s first drug that has the potential not only to relieve the symptoms of the disease, but also to stop its progression.
«Our development for ankylosing spondylitis is based on a completely new principle of drug action. The therapy is targeted to destroy the cells of the immune system that cause the disease. As a result, it becomes possible to achieve complete remission without immunosuppression or any side effects. There are no analogues in the world yet», — Sergei Lukyanov, the principal of the Pirogov University of the Russian Ministry of Health, said in an interview with the agency that was quoted by the press service.
In the near future, the therapy will be available in many regions, including Karelia, Dagestan, the Komi Republic, Yakutia, Tatarstan, Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Kemerovo regions, Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk Territories.
The fact that the Russian Ministry of Health registered a domestic drug for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis was repored back in April 2024. The Ministry’s press service said that Biocad’s seniprutug demonstrated a high level of effectiveness and safety in clinical trials. The medicine is administered intravenously in medical institutions under medical supervision, and the decision on the prescription of the drug is made by the attending rheumatologist. It was reported that Russia became the first country in the world to develop such a medicine. The first batch of the drug went into civil circulation in Russia in the summer of the same year.
Ankylosing spondylitis is chronic disease. Instead of identifying foreign bodies (e.g. bacteria, viruses) and attacking them to keep the person healthy, the immune system mistakenly targets healthy cartilage and other tissue in and around the joints, causing inflammation and pain. Pain and stiffness in the spine can lead to mobility limitations. In addition to seniprug, Biocad produces Efleira (netakimab), a drug that eliminates the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis. It was first registered for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis, and then a second indication was added.
