AZD1163

AZD1163 is a first-in-class bispecific antibody developed by AstraZeneca for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It targets and inhibits both peptidyl arginine deiminase 2 (PAD2) and peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), enzymes responsible for generating citrullinated autoantigens implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. By inhibiting PAD2 and PAD4, AZD1163 suppresses the formation of anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA), which are key drivers in rheumatoid arthritis. Preclinical studies demonstrated that AZD1163 binds with high affinity to both PAD2 and PAD4, effectively inhibiting endogenous PAD activity in serum and synovial fluid from RA patients without inducing proinflammatory cytokine release or affecting normal neutrophil function. The drug has shown favorable pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties in non-human primates, supporting its progression to clinical trials[2][6][8].