The Comet trial also showed that 50% of patients taking this Enbrel combination achieved clinical remission and nearly 55% achieved functional remission compared to 28% and 39%, respectively, when treated by methotrexate alone.
Enbrel’s ability to achieve remission in many of the patients treated, irrespective of how it is measured, provides real-life benefits for the patient by stopping the disease from progressing while at the same time helping them to continue normal day-to-day functioning. Further data from the Comet trial show that the number of lost work days in patients treated with the Enbrel combination was approximately half that of patients receiving methotrexate alone.
Comet is reportedly the first major trial to use remission as its primary endpoint in patients with early active rheumatoid arthritis treated with a biologic.
Paul Emery, lead Comet trial investigator, said: “These exciting results lead to the next therapeutic step in aiming for multiple measures of remission as our treatment goal, no longer just one.”