Lilly and Incyte’s Baricitinib Surpasses Humira in Phase 3 Trials

Eli Lilly and Incyte’s baricitinib fared better than methotrexate and AbbVie’s Humira in improving quality-of-life symptoms and other patient-reported outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the two companies announced.

Two Phase 3 trials showed that baricitinib improved physical function and minimized fatigue compared to methotrexate and Humira. At 24 weeks, baricitinib reported a clinically meaningful improvement in physical function in 81 percent of patients compared to 71 percent on Humira and 70 percent on methotrexate.

The companies submitted regulatory applications for the candidate’s approval in the U.S., EU and Japan in the first quarter of 2016.