ChemoCentryx Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., said that GlaxoSmithKline plc, of London, exercised its option for an exclusive license to develop and commercialize CCX354, a selective inhibitor of CCR1, a chemokine receptor that drives the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis...Ensemble Therapeutics Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said it identified a series of small-molecule antagonists of interleukin-17, a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in

TiGenix NV, of Leuven, Belgium, and its subsidiary Cellerix SA, of Tres Cantos, Spain, will receive about $3.8 million from the European Seventh Framework Programme to support the development of their Cx611 program of allogeneic expanded adipose-derived stem cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis

TiGenix NV, of Leuven, Belgium, and its subsidiary Cellerix SA, of Tres Cantos, Spain, will receive about $3.8 million from the European Seventh Framework Programme to support the development of their Cx611 program of allogeneic expanded adipose-derived stem cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis

UCB Pharma SA, of Brussels, Belgium, began a trial (EXXELERATE) of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) plus methotrexate compared with Humira (adalimumab) plus methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis

The collaboration is focused on developing drug candidates that target T-helper 17 (Th17) cells, key mediators of inflammation, to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. (See BioWorld Today, March 4, 2011

Pfizer Inc., of New York, said the FDA accepted for review its new drug application seeking approval of oral JAK inhibitor tofacitinib for moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis

Horizon Pharma Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., said the FDA accepted the filing and will review its new drug application for Lodotra, a modified delayed-release formulation of low-dose prednisone, to treat rheumatoid arthritis in adults

Pfizer Inc., of New York, said the European Medicines Agency validated and began review of the company's tofacitinib, an oral JAK inhibitor, for moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis

MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, announced that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency granted the authorization of the planned clinical formulation study of RhuDex, an oral therapy being developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis...Neovacs SA, of Paris, announced results in the first 24 rheumatoid arthritis patients included in a Phase IIa study conducted with TNF-Kinoid, which confirmed a good safety profile, its ability to induce an immune response in patients

MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, announced that the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency granted the authorization of the planned clinical formulation study of RhuDex, an oral therapy being developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Intrexon Corp., of Blacksburg, Va., acquired Immunologix Inc., of Charleston, S.C., which specializes in transforming naïve B cells to produce 100 percent human monoclonal antibodies that can target all antigen types, including cancer cells, viruses, bacteria, toxins and epitopes related to autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis

In July, the company received a CRL from the FDA regarding its sBLA seeking to expand the label for Simponi in rheumatoid arthritis to include a claim that the drug inhibits the progression of structural damage. (See BioWorld Today, April 27, 2009

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, of Nanjing, China, received approval in China for Iremod, an iguratimod drug, in rheumatoid arthritis

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., of Mumbai, India, initiated two Phase IIb dose-ranging trials of Revamilast (GRC 4039) for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis

AB Science SA, of Paris, recruited the first patient in the Phase IIb/III study of masitinib in rheumatoid arthritis...The study of Neovacs' TFN-Kinoid is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who have developed a secondary resistance to TNF-inhibitors

Femta Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, submitted an investigational new drug application to the FDA to initiate clinical development of FM101, a high-affinity, humanized monoclonal antibody against interleukin-6, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis...The FDA approved a subcutaneous formulation of Orencia (abatacept), by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, for rheumatoid arthritis

Janssen Biotech Inc. (formerly Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc.), of Horsham, Pa., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, received a complete response letter from the FDA regarding its supplemental biologics license application seeking to expand the label for Simponi (golimumab) in rheumatoid arthritis to include a claim that the drug inhibits the progression of structural damage. (See BioWorld Today, April 27, 2009

Sanofi SA, of Paris, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., reported results from a Phase IIb (MOBILITY) trial of sarilumab in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis

The first candidate, CGEN-15001, has demonstrated therapeutic potential in multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis in in-vivo studies, and Compugen said it continues to move forward with that program and is in discussions with possible partners