Pfizer moves two drugs into phase 3 trial

NEW YORK Pfizer said Friday that its development pipeline showed advances in high-priority disease areas.

The company recently started a phase 3 trial of tanezumab, a monoclonal antibody that treats pain by targeting the nerve growth factor and has significantly reduced pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee in clinical studies. Earlier this year, it started a phase 3 study of CP-690,550, a first-in-class, orally administered JAK inhibitor for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

“We are executing our commitment to bring new and effective therapies to patients around the world in areas where there is a significant unmet medical need,” Pfizer Worldwide Pharmaceutical Operations president Ian Read stated.

Pfizer has started 12 phase 3 clinical programs since March last year, the company said.