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Good news for palmoplantar psoriasis patients as Novartis announce results of two trials that showed superior efficacy compared to placebo in patients with psoriasis of the palms, soles and nails.
Source: novartis.com
Quote:
Novartis announced today that Cosentyx® (secukinumab) met the primary endpoints in two new clinical studies, showing superior efficacy compared to placebo in patients with psoriasis of the palms, soles and nails, all difficult-to-treat locations of plaque psoriasis. Detailed findings were presented for the first time at the 23rd World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) in Vancouver, Canada.
In the GESTURE study in patients with moderate-to-severe palmoplantar psoriasis, Cosentyx (300 mg) was superior to placebo at Week 16 in achieving clear or almost clear palms and soles as assessed using the Palmoplantar Investigator’s Global Assessment (33.3% vs. 1.5%; P<0.0001) Similarly, in the TRANSFIGURE study in patients with significant nail psoriasis, Cosentyx (300 mg) was superior to placebo at Week 16, as assessed by mean improvement (decrease) in the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) compared to baseline (-45.3% vs -10.8%; P<0.0001) The safety profile of Cosentyx in both studies was comparable to previously reported Phase III clinical trials.
“These are the largest trials to prospectively compare an active therapy to placebo in patients with psoriasis affecting the palms, soles, and nails, an area where a high unmet need for an effective treatment still exists,” said Vasant Narasimhan, Global Head of Development, Novartis Pharmaceuticals. “These results add to the growing body of evidence that Cosentyx is setting a new standard of care for patients with even the most challenging types of psoriasis.”
Estimated to affect as many as 90% of all psoriasis patients at some point in their lifetime, psoriasis of the palms, soles and nails is extremely difficult to treat and often requires biologic treatment (a protein based medicine made from cells) to control. Patients with these locations of psoriasis endure significantly greater physical disabilities than those whose psoriasis is limited to other parts of the body. Patients may experience difficulty walking, more pronounced burning sensation and difficulty grasping and handling objects, skin soreness and difficulty participating in recreational activities, social and workplace interactions. Nail psoriasis is a significant predictor of psoriatic arthritis, an important comorbidity of psoriasis.
Cosentyx is the first and only interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. It was approved in January 2015 in the United States and European Union, and is also approved in Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Singapore and Switzerland.
Source: novartis.com
