Lilly India enters the autoimmune segment with Olumiant™, a new once-daily oral therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Gunjan Chauhan
Eli Lilly and Company (India) Pvt. Ltd. (“Lilly India”) announced the launch of Olumiant™ (baricitinib). This announcement is taking place a day ahead of World Arthritis Day (October 12th) and is marking the company’s entry into the autoimmune segment in India. Olumiant™ (baricitinib) is a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe active Rheumatoid Arthritis who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Olumiant™ may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate. Olumiant™ will be available in India starting October 2018 in 4mg and 2mg dosage forms. Olumiant™ is approved in more than 50 countries across the world.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and progressive destruction of joints2,3. Approximately three times as many women as men have the disease4. Current treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis includes the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) — such as methotrexate, and injectable, biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) that target selected mediators implicated in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis 4. Despite current treatment options, many patients do not reach their therapeutic goals5,6. There remains an important need to provide additional treatment options to improve overall patient care.
Olumiant™ (baricitinib) is a once-daily, oral JAK inhibitor for the treatment of adults with moderately-to-severely active Rheumatoid Arthritis who have had an inadequate response to conventional synthetic DMARDs (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs). There are four known JAK enzymes: JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and TYK2. JAK-dependent cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Olumiant™ has greater inhibitory potency at JAK1, JAK2 and TYK2 relative to JAK3; however, the relevance of inhibition of specific JAK enzymes to therapeutic effectiveness is not currently known.
Despite the multiple options available for Rheumatoid Arthritis, there still exists an unmet need. More than half of the patients with moderate-to-severe Rheumatoid Arthritis do not experience remission through conventional DMARDs.
In clinical studies, Olumiant™ has demonstrated statistically significant improvements in a number of outcome measures including patient reported outcomes at various time points with rapid onset of action and sustained efficacy as well as superiority to standard of care at ACR* 20 and DAS* 28 at 12 weeks.
Luca Visini, Managing Director, Eli Lilly and Company India said, “A day ahead of World Arthritis Day, Lilly India is excited to announce the introduction of its innovative therapy for patients living with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is an announcement that builds on our heritage and commitment to India, a 25 years strong legacy of making life better and addressing the unmet needs of patients living with chronic diseases.”He added, “People with Rheumatoid Arthritis continue to struggle with the debilitating effects of the disease, endure pain and do not achieve disease management goals. This can lead to long-term joint damage and even disability. Olumiant™ is an effective, advanced once-daily oral treatment option for people suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis who have not responded well to conventional DMARDs. In clinical trials, Olumiant™ has proven efficacy and demonstrated rapid and significant improvement in patient related outcomes such as pain, fatigue and joint stiffness. It is important for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis to have multiple treatment options available to best suit their disease characteristics and experience.”
