Reuters Dec 12, 2014, 02.22PM IST <\/p>\n
(Novartis said its experimental) <\/p>\n
ZURICH: Novartis said on Friday its experimental psoriasis drug Cosentyx was better at clearing the rough skin patches associated with the disease than Johnson & Johnson's Stelara. <\/p>\n
Results of the late-stage Phase IIIb study involving 679 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis found those taking Cosentyx achieved clear or almost clear skin after 16 weeks of treatment. <\/p>\n
On a secondary measure, patients achieved at least a 75 per cent improvement in disease severity at week four. <\/p>\n
Plaque psoriasis is a painful and unsightly skin condition which is known to cause itching and scaling and affects approximately 125 million people. <\/p>\n
The data follows results last year showing Cosentyx, also known as secukinumab, was superior to Amgen's Embrel in a head-to-head study. <\/p>\n
Cosentyx is expected to be the first in a clutch of new treatments for plaque psoriasis which target the inflammation-causing protein interleukin-17 (IL-17) to gain market approval. <\/p>\n
European regulators gave the green light to the drug last month, while an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended the use of the drug. <\/p>\n
Other drugmakers working on new treatments include Eli Lilly , AstraZeneca and Amgen. <\/p>\n
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Novartis psoriasis drug tops Johnson & Johnson's Stelara in late-stage: Study<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reuters Dec 12, 2014, 02.22PM IST (Novartis said its experimental) ZURICH: Novartis said on Friday its experimental psoriasis drug Cosentyx was better at clearing the rough skin patches associated with the disease than Johnson & Johnson's Stelara. Continue reading