20 January 2021
British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) is partnering with Versus Arthritis to secure the long-term future of our patient studies on children and young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
We're merging our Etanercept study and Versus Arthritis’ Biologics for Children with Rheumatic Diseases study to create the UK JIA Biologics Register, extending funding for at least four more years.
The University of Manchester, where the studies are based, will continue to oversee the running of the register.
Principal investigator Prof Kimme Hyrich says: "This represents an exciting next phase in the study of biologic drugs for children with JIA. [Their] long-term effects and safety... remains one of the top research priorities for children and their families living with JIA."
Ali Rivett, BSR's Chief Executive, comments: "I'm delighted we're partnering with Versus Arthritis to secure the long-term future of these important studies. I look forward to seeing the research generated in the coming years by the register to inform the care of this patient group across paediatric and adolescent rheumatology."
Dr Stephen Simpson, Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, says: "I’m really delighted that we've been able to partner with BSR, such an enormously important organisation to the field of rheumatology, to fund the UK JIA Biologics Register. This study is vital to measuring the long-term outputs of treatments for JIA, and opens the door to more targeted, effective treatments for more children with arthritis.”