Scientific Company (India), a Swiss based pharmaceutical company has launched Mabthera (rituximab) drug in India for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

Mabthera is the selective B cell therapy for RA. It is effective not only in controlling the symptoms but also inhibiting structural damage of joints caused by RA in the patients. This is particularly important considering that, people with RA begin to suffer progressive, permanent joint damage early on in the disease. Within the first two years, up to 70 per cent of people with RA have X-ray evidence of joint destruction.

Mabthera has already received approval in the US and European Union. "Rheumatoid Arthritis is a crippling disease which affects the day-to-day functioning of the patient. Mabthera is an innovative drug with a unique mechanism of action. "We are hopeful that Mabthera shall be able to offer lasting clinical benefit to patients in India who have failed to experience relief from the currently available treatment options" said Dr G L Telang, Managing Director, Roche Scientific Company (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Mabthera is approved and available in India for the last 5 years for the treatment of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It is now recently approved for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The official availability of the product is expected on 24 November 2006. Currently it is available in four Indian cities namely: Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Chandigarh.

RA is one of the most common forms of autoimmune disease globally, 1 per cent of the population suffer from RA. In India around more than 7 million patients are suffering from this disease. However, women are more affected than men. The exact cause is unknown and as yet there is no cure. It is a progressive, systematic autoimmune disease characterised by inflammation of the membrane lining in joints. This inflammation causes a loss of joint shape and function, resulting in, pain, stiffness and swelling, ultimately leading to irreversible joint destruction and disability.

In more serve cases of RA; the eyes, lungs or blood vessels may be involved. Most patients with RA identify that they can continue to experience symptoms on a daily basis. It may also shorten life expectancy by affecting major organ systems and after 10 years, less than 50 per cent of patients can continue to work or function normally on a day-to-day basis.

There are a number of treatments currently available to manage RA. This includes nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, diseases-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) and biologics.

Biologies are genetically engineered drugs that target specific chemicals in the immune system called cytokines, which are produced by cells that affect other cells during an inflammatory response. However it is estimated that approximately 30-40 per cent of patients treated with the currently available biologies. There is a high need for novel and effective options for patients whose daily life continues to be impacted by this serious disease. One of these is the selective targeting of B cells, which are known to play a key role in the chain of inflammatory events that ultimately lead to the damage of bone and cartilage in the joints.

Mabthera selectively targets a subset of B cells that express CD20 which act at multiple levels of the inflammatory cascade. As per new data presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), it is able to significantly inhibit structural damage of joints caused by RA.