Fostamatinib disodium fails in

rheumatoid arthritis

Taken from NRAS magazine, Winter 2009

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, a Californian biotech company, has seen its rheumatoid arthritis drug fostamatinib disodium, also known as R788, fail in a study called the TASKI3. The study had enrolled 219 people who had failed on at least one biologic treatment and both placebo-treated and those on fostamatinib disodium, 100 mg twice a day orally, continued to take methotrexate. After three months of treatment, 38% of people taking fostamatinib disodium showed a decrease of at least 20% in their symptoms compared with 37% in the placebo arm.