New RA Data Could Be Magic Pill for Rigel

Rigel Pharmaceuticals(RIGL Quote) will release new clinical data next month on an experimental pill for rheumatoid arthritis that could alleviate concerns about the drug's safety and help the company sign a lucrative partnership deal later this year.

The Rigel drug, known as R788, is one of two oral medicines in mid- and late-stage clinical trials as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a progressive disease in which a patient's immune system attacks the bones and cartilage in the body's joints.

The current RA treatment market totals about $14 billion in sales worldwide, with the bulk of that coming from a class of injectable drugs known as "TNF-alpha inhibitors." ...