Novartis announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a label update for Cosentyx® (secukinumab), the first interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor approved to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The updated label includes Cosentyx data in moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis – one of the difficult-to-treat forms of the disease, which affects approximately half of all psoriasis patients.The label update is effective in the US immediately, and is based on the proven efficacy and consistent safety profile of Cosentyx from a dedicated Phase III scalp psoriasis trial.
The updated label for Cosentyx in scalp psoriasis addresses an important unmet need. Scalp psoriasis can be challenging to treat with topical agents or phototherapy due to the presence of hair and other factors. Approximately half of all 125 million patients with psoriasis suffer from scalp psoriasis.
Kristian Reich, M.D., Ph.D., Georg-August-University Göttingen and Dermatologikum Hamburg, Germany, said: “Scalp psoriasis is on a very sensitive, and a very visible area of the body. For patients this could translate into physical pain, frustration and social isolation. Patients and doctors are in need of effective treatment options in this and other difficult-to-treat forms of psoriasis.”
“This is an important label update for Cosentyx, the first IL-17A inhibitor approved for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. It confirms the additional value Cosentyx offers to patients who seek a treatment effective in various areas of the body,” said Eric Hughes, Global Development Unit Head, Immunology & Dermatology. “We’re proud to expand treatment possibilities of Cosentyx for an even greater number of patients.”
Cosentyx is currently the only fully human IL-17A inhibitor to demonstrate efficacy and safety in a dedicated Phase III study of scalp psoriasis. The label update is based on 12-week primary endpoint results from the SCALP study of moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis where Cosentyx demonstrated superior efficacy compared to placebo.
Cosentyx has demonstrated sustained long-term efficacy, as well as a consistently favorable safety profile, including injection site pain at rates similar to placebo. To date, more than 125,000 patients worldwide have been prescribed Cosentyx in the post-marketing setting across all indications since launch.