vendredi 5 juillet 2013

Arthrite, un traitement révolutionnaire développé en Israël

Il n'y a pas de doute que les Israéliens devraient être fiers de ce médicament dont l'aventure a commencé en 1987 - ce médicament et d'autres médicaments biologiques ont radicalement changé la "face de la rhumatologie".

Que recommandent les boycotteurs et les boycotteuses aux patients souffrant d'arthrite et d'autres pathologies qui peuvent être traitées par des médicaments développés en Israël (voir ci-dessous une petite liste)?  Recommandent-ils le boycott? (Un médicament TEVA? Non merci! Osez le boycott!, recommandent les bien pensants belges francophones...

The Israel inspired revolution in arthritis treatment @ Globes: Israel has provided the global drug development pipeline with many well-known internationally successful medications including Copaxone [sclérose en plaques], Rebif [sclérose en plaques], Exelon [maladie d'Alzheimer et maladie de Parkinson], Doxil [cancer de l'ovaire], Azilect [maladie de Parkinson] and Gonal [traitement de la stérilité]. In fact there is yet another well-known drug that is not very often associated with Israel - Enbrel, for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and probably the most successful Israeli drug that you do not recognize as Israeli.

The researchers, Prof. Dan Aderka and Prof. David Wallach, from Sheba Hospital, Tel Hashomer and the Weizmann Institute of Science, respectively, were the first to guess that a molecule such as Enbrel had to exist. They also were the first to patent the product, a patent that protected their developed product and which recently expired. 

An additional patent is based on Enbrol, a molecule that when added to the drug makes it easier for the body to absorb, and this patent right was recently approved until 2026. "When rumors began to circulate about the extension of the patent, Amgen's stock price rose from $70 to $110. The stock price hadn't been so high for ten years," said Aderka to clarify how significant the drug is to Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN), currently traded around $90 with a market cap of $70 billion, making it the world's largest independent biotech company.

Enbrel saw sales of $3.9 billion in 2012 making it the seventh best-selling drug in the US. This achievement was due to the fact that it is the most innovative treatment for inflammatory diseases that has come onto the market in recent years.  Aderka said, "Who knows, maybe this product deserves a Nobel Prize, since it completely changes the progress of the disease." When the drug is administered at an early stage of arthritis, it inhibits the inflammation and prevents permanent damage to the joints, thus saving patients from short-term pain and slows down the process of permanent damage that can lead to disability - this certainly is a change. In addition to arthritis, it is also registered for use against psoriasis and inflammation of the spine. [...]

Israel Rheumatology Association chairman and Head of the Rheumatology Outpatient Unit at the Sourasky, Ichilov Tel Aviv Medical Center Prof. Ori Elkayam said, "Enbrel and other biological medicines changed the face of rheumatology. Previously, we feared the effects of these drugs, but today, after 20 years of experience, it has been proven that the benefits are much larger than the possible harm. There is huge impact on patients and many of them divide up their lives into before the biological drugs and after them. In light of the therapeutic success, we are committed to diagnose the disease in its early stages and treat accordingly to stop the inflammatory process and prevent the damage caused by the chronic disease to patients."

Voir également: Quatre universités israéliennes classées parmi les 100 meilleures au monde

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