Reuters AlertNet - Cancer risk from arthritis drugs overstated-study

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Cancer risk from arthritis drugs overstated-study

07 Nov 2006 21:34:28 GMT

Source: Reuters

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By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Two biotech drugs used to treat

rheumatoid arthritis -- Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s <ABT.N> Humira and

& 's <JNJ.N> Remicade -- may raise the risk of cancer

and infections but not as much as was feared, researchers said on

Tuesday.

A series of letters published in the Journal of the American Medical

Association show that several teams have taken a fresh look at the

safety of the two drugs and find that they may double the risk of

cancer and infections.

Most of the researchers, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,

agree that patients need to know about the risks but say the benefits

mean the drugs should stay on the market.

In May, a study published in the Journal showed that Humira, known

generically as adalimumab, and Remicade, known generically as

infliximab, tripled the risk of cancer and some infectious diseases

such as tuberculosis in patients who used them.

This information had already been included in labels put on the drugs

after a directive from the FDA six months earlier.

Dr. Matteson and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New

York, who did the study published in May re-analyzed the data and

added more data from other studies they had not considered before.

" We re-did the analysis completely, " Matteson said in a telephone

interview. The new analysis showed the cancer risk was 2.4 times

greater among patients who used the drugs, and the risk of infectious

disease was 1.8 times greater.

" The magnitude is still higher in treated groups than in untreated

groups, " Matteson said.

This would be expected. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune

disease, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints.

The drugs target TNF-alpha, one of the immune system's signaling

compounds.

" Anything that modifies our immune systems does have the potential

for causing cancers, " Matteson said.

His team is looking at a third drug in the same class, Amgen's

<AMGN.O> Enbrel, known generically as etanercept. " We don't have data

yet, " Matteson said. " We do think that there's a concern, which is

why we are looking. "

So far, studies have shown no link between Enbrel and cancer or

infectious diseases.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 2 million Americans and represents

a rapidly growing market that could reach more than $11 billion by

2014, according to market research company Research and Markets.

Drugs approved to treat it also often work against skin conditions

such as psoriasis, ulcerative colitis and similar autoimmune conditions.

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