This Journal Watch discusses the study details (table 1) and key findings of “ A Phase 2 Trial of Peresolimab for Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis ”, a study published in N Engl J Med 2023 . 1 What was the rationale of the study? Very few rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients show sustained remission, and many become refractory over time to the current treatment options, including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). 2 This scenario highlights the need to identify new, effective treatment options.
Increased expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) in the synovium of RA patients 3,4 suggests the involvement of the PD-1 pathway in the pathogenesis of RA. Hence, using peresolimab, a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody, to stimulate the PD-1 inhibitory pathway could be a novel approach for treating rheumatoid arthritis. ##How was the study conducted?## Table1: Study…
