Granulocyte-macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor Antibody in Rheumatoid Arthritis¹

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a key driver in immune-mediated inflammatory conditions. In order to assess the effectiveness of anti-GM-CSF antibody on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a randomised placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Patients aged 18 or above were randomised to receive the antibody of placebo subcutaneously, with methotrexate (MTX) as background therapy. The findings showed that the GM-CSF antibody plus MTX did not achieve the primary endpoint of disease activity score for 28 joints with C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) <2.6 at week 24. However, researchers reported that significant improvement was found in pain and physical function in patients, supporting further clinical development of GM-CSF antibody in RA.

References
1. Buckley CD, et al. Lancet Rheum. 2020; doi: 10.1016/S2665-9913(20)30229-0.