In the field of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, we shifted our focus to rheumatological diseases and consequently renamed this therapeutic area. Our research and development work is centered on molecules that modulate the key pathogenic mechanisms of these diseases. We are developing the recombinant protein atacicept for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an inflammatory rheumatological disease. This innovative compound blocks the two immunomodulatory factors APRIL and BLyS. They are important for the survival and the proliferation of lymphocytes that trigger an abnormal immune reaction against the patient’s own normal tissues. SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease that mainly affects women and is an area of great unmet medical need. We are currently conducting a Phase II/III clinical trial with atacicept in SLE. Lupus nephritis (LN) is a particularly severe form of SLE involving the kidneys. We are currently adapting the clinical development plan for atacicept in this indication after having discontinued a Phase II / III study in 2008.
Thanks to its novel mechanism of action, fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF 18) could be the first disease-modifying treatment for osteoarthritis and the repair of cartilage damage following injury. In the laboratory, FGF 18 has been shown to stimulate the regeneration of defective articular cartilage. FGF 18 may support the healing of degenerative joint disease. We successfully completed a Phase I trial of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joint. A further clinical trial in osteoarthritis is still in progress. We are investigating the efficacy of FGF 18 in the treatment of knee cartilage defects in a Phase II trial that we initiated in 2010.