
Novartis to compare Cosentyx with Humira in new clinical trials
pharmafile | June 8, 2016 | News story | Research and Development | Cosentyx, Humira, Novartis, comparison, eular 2016
Novartis has announced that it plans to directly compare Cosentyx (secukinumab) versus Humira (adalimumab) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.
This announcement formed part of over 33 abstracts presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2016). Data presented at the conference suggests that Cosentyx may lead to higher responses than AbbVie’s mega-blockbuster drug, Humira.
According to Novartis, the planned direct comparison trial will be the first ever adequately powered long-term head-to-head studies with biologic medicines to differentiate the effectiveness of treatment in these conditions.
Vasant Narasimhan, chief medical officer at Novartis, says: “There is an urgent need for new ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis treatments because a significant number of patients do not respond well to anti-TNF therapy, the current standard of care. There is a growing body of evidence that supports the potential of Cosentyx to become a gold standard of care for patients living with these debilitating conditions.”
Cosentyx has already won approval in both the US and Europe for the treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.
EULAR is taking place this week in London from 8th to 11th of June.
Sean Murray
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