FDA Approves Novartis' Ilaris To Treat Still's Disease

(RTTNews) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Tuesday approved Novartis AG's (NVS) Ilaris for the treatment of Active Still's disease, including Adult-Onset Still's Disease.

Ilaris was previously approved for Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in patients aged 2 years and older.

"Prior to today's approval, patients had no FDA-approved treatments for their disease, which can include symptoms such as painful arthritis, fevers and rash," said Nikolay Nikolov, M.D., acting director of the Division of Rheumatology and Transplant Medicine in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Today's approval provides patients with a treatment option."

Adult-Onset Still's disease is a rare and serious autoinflammatory disease that has considerable overlap with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, including fever, arthritis and rash, the FDA said.