Other indications with filgotinib
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
AS, a systemic, chronic, and progressive inflammatory arthritis, is one of the most common rheumatic diseases across the globe, affecting nearly 2 million patients in the U.S., Europe, and Japan in 2018. The total market for AS treatments was worth $3 billion in 2018 in the seven major markets.1Sources: Decision Resources Group, Global Data, Galapagos Custom Research
AS primarily affects the spine and sacroiliac joints and progresses into severe inflammation that fuses the spine, leading to permanent painful stiffness of the back. Currently, there is no known cure for AS, but there are treatments and medications available to reduce symptoms and manage pain. Recent studies show that the newer biologic medications can potentially slow disease progression in some patients; however, patients respond to different medications with varying levels of effectiveness. Thus, it takes time to find the most effective course of treatment.
TORTUGA was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 2 trial to assess the safety and efficacy of filgotinib in adult patients with moderate to severe active AS. The trial was conducted in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Spain and Ukraine. In total, 116 patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive filgotinib 200 mg or placebo once-daily for 12 weeks.
In September 2018, Gilead and we announced that the TORTUGA trial achieved its primary efficacy endpoint in adults with moderately to severely active AS. In the trial, patients treated with filgotinib achieved significantly greater improvements in AS Disease Activity Score, the primary endpoint, at week 12, with a mean change from baseline of -1.5 versus -0.6 for those treated with placebo (p<0.0001). More patients receiving filgotinib also achieved an Assessment in AS Response of at least 20% improvement compared to those treated with placebo (76% versus 40%, p<0.0001).
Adverse events were generally mild or moderate in severity and were reported in an equal proportion of patients in the filgotinib and placebo groups. Laboratory changes were consistent with those previously reported for filgotinib, and no new safety signals were observed in the trial. There was one treatment-emergent serious adverse event reported for a patient receiving filgotinib who experienced pneumonia and recovered after hospital-based antibiotic treatment. One patient randomized to filgotinib, with an inherited risk for thrombosis, experienced a non-serious deep venous thrombosis after completing the course of study drug. No deaths, malignancies, hepatic events, opportunistic infections or cases of herpes zoster were observed in the study. The full results of the TORTUGA trial were reported in The Lancet (Van der Heijde et al. 2018).
We expect that our collaboration partner Gilead will initiate a Phase 3 program with filgotinib in AS during the course of 2020.
Additional indications
In the course of 2017, Gilead initiated clinical trials with filgotinib in Sjögren’s disease, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, lupus membranous nephropathy, and uveitis. In 2019, Gilead reported completion of the trials in Sjögren's disease and cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and that they are no longer recruiting for lupus membranous nephropathy.