Journalists' Roundtable Meeting
Debilitating effect of rheumatoid arthritis on patients’ everyday lives highlighted in roundtable discussion
A Roche-sponsored media roundtable for journalists attending the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) meeting provided valuable insight into the effects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on patients’ everyday lives and the importance of finding new treatments to better manage this debilitating disease. Leading the discussion was Professor Paul-Peter Tak, Director of the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam.
Professor Tak, a lead investigator in research into MabThera® (rituximab), highlighted the challenges involved in treating patients with this disease, in particular those with long-standing, active RA, who have an inadequate response or intolerance to currently available treatments. Outlining some of the key data for MabThera presented at EULAR, he explained the mechanism of action of selectively targeted B cell therapy in RA and the clinical relevance of the MabThera results for these patients. Significant improvements have also been observed in measures of physical and mental function with MabThera, which mean patients can perform simple, everyday tasks that may have been impossible for them previously.1
Sister Margot Colombijn, who works alongside Professor Tak monitoring clinical trial patients at his Amsterdam clinic, demonstrated how RA can make even the simplest tasks, such as brushing hair, virtually impossible. She was able to provide anecdotal accounts of the improvements she has witnessed in patients involved in the rituximab trial programme, which in many cases have enabled patients to resume their former independence and return to work.
Reference
1. Tak P-P, Mease P, Bombardieri S, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2006;65 Suppl II:503 (Abstract SAT0175).