EMA Revises 2009 Guideline on Axial Spondyloarthritis Treatments

The European Medicines Agency revised its 2009 guideline on developing treatments for axial spondyloarthritis, accounting for changes in clinical practice.

Axial spondyloarthritis, a more recent term also known as axial SpA, encompasses a family of autoimmune diseases that can lead to arthritis in the joints of the hips and spine, with the most common disease being ankylosing spondylitis.

The new version of the guideline — adopted by the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use — acknowledges that patients with axial SpA may not fulfill the criteria of ankylosing spondylitis, while presenting with similar disease activity and functional impairment, a change from previous clinical practice.