Cosentyx shows superior improvements in psoriasis patients' quality of life

Novartis announced additional results from the head-to-head CLARITY study demonstrating the superiority of Cosentyx (secukinumab) compared to Stelara (ustekinumab) in delivering specific quality of life (QoL) aspects in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis at 16 weeks.

New CLARITY data show over two-thirds of Cosentyx treated patients with moderate to severe psoriasis reported no impact of skin disease on their QoL up to Week 16 compared to Stelara (ustekinumab) treated patients (68.4% versus 55.9%, respectively). These data were presented at the 2019 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The proportion of patients achieving Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) 0 or 1 response showed a superior improvement with Cosentyx over Stelara : DLQI 0 or 1 response was higher when patients were treated with Cosentyx vs. Stelara at Week 12 (64.0% vs. 51.7%) and at Week 16 (68.4% vs. 55.9%) (both p<0.0001). The new study results add to findings from CLARITY published in 2018, which showed Cosentyx was significantly more effective than Stelara in delivering clear and almost clear skin at 12 and 16 weeks.

Cosentyx continues to have a favorable and consistent safety profile. Previously presented data from the CLEAR study also demonstrated the superiority of Cosentyx to Stelara in achieving sustained skin clearance (PASI 90 response rates) at 52 weeks.

Psoriasis is not simply a cosmetic problem, but a persistent, chronic (long-lasting), and sometimes distressing disease, which can affect even the smallest aspects of people's lives on a daily basis. Over two-thirds of psoriasis patients experience persistent manifestations beyond skin plaques including nail, scalp, palmoplantar psoriasis as well as joints involvement. In addition to CLARITY, new data from the PROSE study was presented as a late-breaker at AAD analyzing the impact of skin disease on patient QoL.

These QoL results add to findings from the SCULPTURE study published in 2018, showing that two-thirds of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis patients treated with Cosentyx reported no impact of skin disease on their quality of life through 5 years, as described by the DLQI 0/1 response (72.7% at Year 1 and 65.5% at Year 5) - a questionnaire used to evaluate the impact of skin disease on a patient's quality of life.