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Some patients with psoriatic arthritis may benefit from Cosentyx
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About half of patients with psoriatic arthritis who received subcutaneous infusions of 150 mg or 300 mg of Cosentyx achieved a 20% response to treatment, according to a recently published study.
Researchers conducted a phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 397 patients with psoriatic arthritis at 76 centers in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and the U.S. between April and November 2013. Patients were randomized 1:1:1:1 to either treatment with 300-mg subcutaneous Cosentyx (secukinumab, Novartis), 150-mg secukinumab, 75-mg secukinumab or placebo once a week for the first 4 weeks and every 4 weeks thereafter. Patients were included in the presence of psoriasis in at least 3% of body area, and dactylitis or enthesitis at baseline, and 185 received concomitant methotrexate.
At week 24, an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response rate of 20% (ACR20) was met by 54% of patients who received 300 mg secukinumab, 51% of patients who received 150 mg secukinumab and by 29% of patients who received 75-mg secukinumab compared to 15% of patients who received placebo. An improvement in the Psoriasis Area-and-Severity Index (PASI) score of 75% (PASI 75) and 90% (PASI90) was seen in significantly more patients who received 300-mg or 150-mg secukinumab compared to 75-mg or placebo.
An ACR70 response was observed in 20% of patients who received 300-mg secukinumab, in 21% of patients who received 150-mg secukinumab and in 6% of patients who received 75-mg secukinumab compared to 1% of patients who received placebo.
At week 52, 335 of 397 patients remained in the study and improvements exhibited at week 24 were maintained at week 52 in patients who received 300-mg or 150-mg secukinumab.
No patient deaths were reported during the study and there were no reports of suicide attempts or suicidal ideation. Adverse events occurred with similar incidence across all groups including placebo, with the exception of a slightly higher rate of serious adverse events in the 300-mg and 75-mg secukinumab groups. The most common adverse event was infection, followed by upper respiratory tract infection and nasopharyngitis. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The study was funded by Novartis. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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