Novartis reveals positive three-year efficacy data for psoriatic arthritis drug
pharmafile | November 15, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | Cosentyx, Novartis, psoriatic arthritis
Novartis has claimed that its Cosentyx (secukinumab) treatment is now the first approved fully human interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor to demonstrate three-year efficacy in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
The manufacturer noted that 77% of PsA patients reported an ACR 20 response (American College of Rheumatology response criteria) when treated with the drug in the first year of a three-year extension study, itself a continuation of a previous two-year study.
Response rates stayed consistent throughout the trial, with 69.4% at the end of year one and 76.8% at the end of year three; this was independent of whether patients received an anti-TNF prior to receiving Cosentyx. In addition, the treatment was effective at tackling patient-reported pain: at two years, 79% of patients achieved an ASAS 20 response (Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society response criteria), while up to 80% of AS and 84% of PsA patients treated with Cosentyx showed no radiographic progression in the spine or joints after two years.
“Joint pain severely impacts the lives of many people living with psoriatic arthritis. The knowledge that Cosentyx delivers lasting pain relief, reduces swelling and helps keep joints moving is important as it means it could help improve both patient overall quality of life and mobility,” said Vasant Narasimhan, Global Head, Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis. “Cosentyx provides much-needed pain relief and also delivers high and long-lasting skin clearance for psoriasis, which the majority of people with psoriatic arthritis also suffer from.”
Cosentyx is also already indicated as the only IL-17A inhibitor approved for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), PsA, and psoriasis. The company has announced its intention to start work on trials involving 850 patients to directly test Cosentyx’s efficacy against its main rival Humira in the treatment of AS and PsA .
The release of the data also coincides this week with Celgene’s announcement that its own psoriatic arthritis treatment Otezla met its primary endpoint in a recent trial.
Matt Fellows
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