Amgen's autoimmune drug succeeds in late-stage trial

Sept. 22 (Reuters) - Amgen said on Tuesday its experimental drug to treat an autoimmune disease that attacks the body's moisture-producing glands met the main goal of reducing disease activity in a late-stage trial.

Here are some details:

• The drug dazodalibep showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in patients with Sjogren's disease at week 48.
• Sjogren's disease can cause extensive dryness of the eyes, mouth and other parts of the body, along with fatigue and chronic pain.
• It affects about 1% of the global population and predominantly affects women, according to the National Institutes of Health.
• Amgen said most adverse events in the trial were mild to moderate, with few patients discontinuing treatment.
• Novartis and Johnson & Johnson are also developing drugs to treat Sjogren's disease, which has no approved treatments in the US.
• Amgen plans to present detailed data from the trial at an upcoming medical meeting. The trial is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026.