A vaccine to prevent disease gives the first decisive results – liberation

An invention capable of transforming the daily lives of millions of people. English researchers published on Tuesday 13 February in the journal lancet, Reliable results of clinical trials. The vaccine, injected weekly into the abdomen or thigh, reduces the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by 80%. If this active ingredient – abatacept – is prescribed to people already suffering from the disease, it will also be effective in slowing down or stopping the progression of the pathology in those who show the first symptoms. Scientists have welcomed these results “hopeful” Emphasize that“Preventing the onset of rheumatoid arthritis is now possible”.

Improve quality of life

Rheumatoid arthritis is a particularly painful chronic disease. It causes inflammation in the joints and causes serious damage. According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, 18 million people worldwide suffer from it, more than half of whom are over the age of 55. This pathology can also be disabling, with affected people finding it difficult to move around and perform daily tasks. Until now, there was no treatment to prevent contracting the disease. “In cases of established polyarthritis, abatacept already reduces inflammation,” For sure publication Professor Xavier Mariette, Head of the Rheumatology Department at Biquetre Hospital (Val-de-Marne).

For their clinical trial, the researchers focused on the cases of 213 patients at early risk of rheumatoid arthritis from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. 110 of them received the drug abatacept, and the rest were assigned to the placebo group. After 12 months of treatment, 92.8% of people in the abatacept group had not developed the disease, compared with 69.2% in the second sample. In addition, all those who received the treatment experienced an improvement in their quality of life, including less joint pain.

“A Revolution”

Medicine “Therefore when given will be able to prevent the appearance of true polyarthritis”, Xavier Mariette notes. Before qualifying: “But as soon as you stop it, the disease develops.” One year after the end of treatment, the difference between the two groups narrowed. “As long as the drug is injected, it works very well, but when the treatment is stopped the two curves come together.” A rheumatologist analyzes after reading this study. “So it’s not really what I call preventive treatment. We just know that if we treat the disease very early, we manage to keep it under control, but we have to continue the treatment in order for these benefits to continue. The professor concludes.

One of the study’s authors, Andrew Cope, a researcher at King’s College London, was quoted by the English-speaking media as saying he was pleased. “First Results” which contains “Good news for people at risk of arthritis”. If Xavier Mariette recognizes that he is “interesting study”, It warns: “This is not a revolution in the field of polyarthritis.” “Obviously, the solution is to treat it for life, or to test it for a period longer than twelve months.” He adds. This is the first step towards improving the daily lives of people affected by this serious illness, but which still needs to be discovered.