( Findings from the ASSERT Trial Presente...)Remicade Two Year Data in Ankylosing Spondylitis Show Improvement,in Spinal Mobility and Spinal Inflammation,Health

BARCELONA, Spain, June 15, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Data presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual European Congress of Rheumatology showed that patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who received REMICADE(R) (infliximab) over two years experienced significant improvement in spinal mobility. In addition, REMICADE-treated patients showed sustained reductions in spinal inflammation through two years as detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The recommended dose of REMICADE in AS is 5 mg/kg given as an IV induction regimen at 0, 2 and 6 weeks followed by a 5 mg/kg maintenance regimen every 6 weeks in the United States or every 6-8 weeks in the European Union.

AS is a progressive rheumatic disease that leads to inflammation of the back, resulting in pain, stiffness and reduced mobility, which in advanced cases can result in fusion of the vertebrae of the spine ('ankylosis'). Data collected from 279 patients with AS as part of the Ankylosing Spondylitis Study for the Evaluation of Recombinant Infliximab Therapy (ASSERT) trial were analyzed to determine the long-term effect of REMICADE on spinal mobility. The double-blind extension of this 24-week placebo-controlled study utilized the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) and chest expansion measurements to assess range of motion in patients with AS.

Patients in ASSERT were treated and assessed at six week intervals through week 102. According to the findings, compared with placebo group (N=78), at week 24 the REMICADE-treated patients (N=201) had a greater improvement in BASMI (defined as a change of at least 1 in the BASMI score) scores (-0.7 vs. -0.2, respectively; P = 0.02), and in percent change in chest expansion (44 percent vs. 19 percent, respectively, P = 0.03). Fifty-one percent of REMICADE-treated patients vs. 31 percent of pl
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