Revenue could top $1 billion a year, according to industry analysts.
Orencia is the first approved drug known as a T-cell co-stimulation modulator, says Reuters. It helps relieve joint pain by inhibiting activation of T-cells, components of the immune system involved in inflammation.
The drug, known generically as abatacept, is administered by monthly intravenous infusion.
Orencia was approved, according to the news agency, for treating moderate to severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis that do not respond to one or more other therapies.
Three Bristol-Myers studies showed more patients had a 20 percent improvement in disease symptoms if they took Orencia rather than a placebo.
