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Cosentyx shows efficacy up to 24 weeks for scalp psoriasis

Cosentyx treatment for moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis showed efficacy at a 12-week endpoint and up to 24 weeks, with no unexpected safety, according to recently published study results in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers conducted a 24-week, double-blind, phase 3b study of 102 patients with moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis who were randomly assigned to subcutaneous Consentyx (secukinumab, Novartis) 300 mg (mean age, 42.7 years; 52.9% male) or placebo (mean age, 41.1 years; 41.2% male) at baseline, weeks 1, 2 and 3, and every four weeks between weeks 4 and 20.

A 90% improvement of Psoriasis Scalp Severity Index (PSSI 90) score from baseline to week 12 was used as primary efficacy variable.

Patients treated with secukinumab 300 mg achieved greater PSSI 90 (52.9% vs. 2%; P < .001) and Investigator’s Global Assessment modified 2011 scalp responses of 0 or 1 (56.9% vs. 5.9%; P< .001), compared with placebo.

Also, 35.3% of patients in the secukinumab cohort achieved complete clearance of scalp psoriasis (PSSI 100) at week 12 compared with 0% in the placebo-treatment cohort (P < .01).

Patients treated with secukinumab had a median time of 3.29 weeks to achieve 50% reduction in PSSI Score.

In patients treated with secukinumab, 58.8% achieved PSSI 90 and 47.1% achieved PSSI 100 at week 24, and 62.7% of secukinumab-treated patients achieved Investigator’s Global Assessment mod 2011 scalp responses or 0 or 1.

There were no new or unexpected safety signals observed during the 24 weeks of treatment.

“Secukinumab 300 mg provided significantly greater clearance of moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis than placebo,” the researchers concluded. “These promising results demonstrate the possibility of establishing PSSI 90 as a new benchmark for scalp psoriasis treatment outcome. Secukinumab is a highly efficacious and well-tolerate treatment for patients with extensive moderate-to-severe scalp psoriasis.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: Bagel reports serving as an investigator and consultant for AbbVie, Amgen, Janssen Pharmaceutical, LEO Pharma, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Celgene and Eli Lilly, and serving on the speakers’ bureau for AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Janssen Pharmaceutical, LEO Pharma and Novartis. Please see the full study for a listing of the other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.