Abbott Study Examines Rates of Uveitis in Patients Treated With Humira

A study of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients treated with Abbott’s Humira showed a decrease in the rate of uveitis flares by approximately half compared with patients treated with placebo.

AS is an inflammatory disease of the spine, which may be associated with other inflammatory diseases of the skin, eyes and intestines. Uveitis — inflammation of the eye — occurs in up to 40 percent of people with AS and can lead to eye damage and blindness.

The 1,250-patient, prospective, multinational, open-label RHAPSODY trial treated patients with active AS who had insufficient responses to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy. Patients received 40 mg of Humira subcutaneously every other week for 12 weeks. Patients with symptomatic uveitis at baseline or in the previous year received the same regimen for 20 weeks, Abbott said.