Masitinib - a relief for arthritis patients ....

I know the sufferings of arthritis patients closely, (as my mother-in-law is having the problem) it makes patients' life miserable. Though there are a few drugs for the treatment, but are inadequate for patients suffering from active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) especially for those unresponsive to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), new and improved medication is need of the hour. In that aspect clinical trials of Mastineb, 4-[(4-Methyl-1-piperazinyl)methyl]-N-[4-methyl-3-[[4-(3-pyridinyl)-2-thiazolyl] amino] phenyl]benzamide carried out by Alain Moussey et. al., is of great importance.

The study evaluates the safety and efficacy of Masitinib, a potent and selective protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor of c-KIT, in the monotherapy treatment of DMARD-refractory RA.

We also know that, the orally bioavailable mesylate salt of masatinib, a multi-targeted protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potential antineoplastic activity selectively binds to and inhibits both the wild-type and mutated forms of the stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit; SCFR); platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR); fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3); and, to a lesser extent, focal adhesion kinase (FAK). As a consequence, tumor cell proliferation may be inhibited in cancer cell types that overexpress these receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), clinical trials also reported.

As per the conclusions by the authors, treatment with masitinib improved DMARD-refractory active RA. Following an initial high incidence of mostly mild to moderate side effects during the first 12 weeks of treatment, masitinib appears to be generally well tolerated. This, together with evidence of a sustainable efficacy response, suggests that masitinib is suitable for long-term treatment regimens. Since this was the first study of masitinib in a nononcologic pathology, the relatively high patient withdrawal rate observed can be partly attributed to a highly cautious response to adverse events. There is sufficient compelling evidence to warrant further placebo-controlled investigation. Congrats for the group...