Cosentyx (secukinumab) shows sustained improvements in the signs and symptoms for active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) at 3 years, consistent with previous findings in active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at 3 years.- Novartis

-Novartis announced data showing Cosentyx (secukinumab) shows sustained improvements in the signs and symptoms for active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) at 3 years, consistent with previous findings in active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at 3 years. New data also show Cosentyx provides rapid and sustained pain relief in patients with active PsA out to 2 years. These findings were presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2017), in Madrid, Spain.

Cosentyx is the only fully human interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor to demonstrate 3-year efficacy and safety in Phase III studies of both AS and PsA, which are life-long debilitating inflammatory diseases. Cosentyx is also used to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis, which is significant as up to 8 in 10 patients with PsA also have psoriasis. In the MEASURE 1 extension study, 80% of AS patients consistently achieved an ASAS 20 response (Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society response criteria) at 3 years.

This was consistent with previous findings from the FUTURE 1 study in active PsA where Cosentyx demonstrated sustained improvements in the signs and symptoms of disease in approximately 80% of patients at 3 years as measured by ACR 20 response (American College of Rheumatology response criteria). A 2-year post-hoc analysis of the FUTURE 2 study evaluated Cosentyx in PsA, where almost every patient (99%) reported moderate-to-extreme pain or discomfort before initiating treatment. By Week 3, half of those (50%) treated with Cosentyx reported clinically meaningful improvements in pain of over 20%, as measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). At Week 4, the proportion of patients reporting no pain or discomfort was greater for Cosentyx (15%) than for placebo (5%) and this increased through to Week 104 (28%). Cosentyx continues to have a favorable safety profile, which was consistent with that shown in Phase III studies. Cosentyx is the only IL-17A inhibitor approved in psoriasis, PsA and AS with more than 80,000 patients treated in the post-marketing setting worldwide across all indications.