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Eli Lilly gets European marketing authorisation for psoriasis drug

pharmafile | April 26, 2016 | News story | |  EC, EU, Eli Lilly, drug trial, psoriasis, regulation 

US pharma firm Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE: LLY) on Tuesday said the European Commission backed marketing authorisation for its ixekizumab (Taltz) to treat plaque psoriasis in the European Union (EU).

The drug is designed to target the cytokine interleukin IL-17A, a protein that plays a role in driving underlying inflammation in psoriasis.

Andrew Hotchkiss, president of Lilly’s European and Canadian operations, says: “Psoriasis is a serious, chronic disease, associated with significant comorbidities including heart disease. There is currently no cure for psoriasis. Lilly is excited to make ixekizumab available in the European Union for physicians looking to provide a new treatment option for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.”

The marketing authorisation of ixekizumab is based on data from seven clinical trials, including three pivotal double-blinded multicentre Phase III studies, which evaluated more than 3,800 patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis from 21 countries. 

Professor Christopher Griffiths, foundation professor of dermatology, University of Manchester, said: “Psoriasis can have a profound, detrimental impact on a person’s quality of life. As such, the authorisation of ixekizumab will offer a new biological treatment option for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.”

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune disease that affects the skin. It occurs when the immune system sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis affects up to 1.8 million people in the UK, about 20% of who have moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis can occur on any part of the body and is associated with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The most common form of psoriasis, plaque psoriasis, appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells.

Anjali Shukla 

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