FDA approves new drug for rheumatoid arthritis

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said the FDA has approved a new drug to treat moderate to severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic disease that afflicts more than 2 million Americans.

The drug, abatacept, is to be marketed as Orencia and is designed to be given intravenously. The company, based in New York, intends to start selling it by the end of February.

The drug acts by suppressing part of the immune system to treat rheumatoid arthritis, which is marked by swelling, stiffness and pain in the linings of the joints. The linings become inflamed after the body's immune system acts against them.

Treatments for rheumatoid arthritis typically involve immunosuppressants. Abatacept uses a new mechanism, blocking the activation of T-cells. When T-cells proliferate, they play a role in the body's immune response.