Health Canada approves Rinvoq for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate (MTX).- AbbVie

AbbVie announced that Health Canada has approved Rinvoq (upadacitinib) for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate (MTX). Rinvoq is a 15 mg, once-daily oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor and may be used as monotherapy or in combination with MTX or other nonbiologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). AbbVie said the approval from Health Canada was supported by efficacy and safety data from the pivotal Phase III SELECT rheumatoid arthritis program which evaluated nearly 4,400 patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in five pivotal studies. Designed to help accommodate the physical limitations of people living with RA, the packaging for Rinvoq includes a bottle cap with a wide, easy-to-grip texture and an embedded tool that punctures the foil liner to simplify medication access.