Radiographic conundrum in RA

The lesson from last week's FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee meeting to review Pfizer Inc.'s tofacitinib is that companies working in the crowded RA space may need enriched - and larger - placebo groups to show an effect on progression using radiographic endpoints.

The gold standard for measuring efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis is ACR20, a measure of inflammatory disease activity. But rheumatologist Robert Landewe told BioCentury that even when inflammation is decreased, "there is still an ongoing process of cartilage and bone destruction."...