Corrected: Amgen's autoimmune drug succeeds in late-stage trial

Novartis AG

22/09/2026 14:00

Corrects last bullet point to say a separate late-stage trial of the drug is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter
Sept 22 (Reuters) - Amgen AMGN.O 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 NOVN.S and Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N 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. A second late-stage study of dazodalibep in moderate to severe symptomatic Sjogren's disease is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.

 (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
 ((Christy.Santhosh@thomsonreuters.com;))