Health Canada approves Tremfya to treat psoriatic arthritis.- Janssen Pharma

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced that Health Canada has approved Tremfya (guselkumab injection) for adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a chronic progressive disease characterized by painful joints and skin inflammation. Tremfya can be used alone or in combination with a conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (cDMARD), such as methotrexate. Tremfya is also approved for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Tremfya is the first and only biologic approved for the treatment of both active PsA and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis that selectively inhibits interleukin (IL)-23, a naturally occurring cytokine involved in normal inflammatory and immune responses. Interleukin (IL)-23 is present at increased levels in people with plaque psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory form of arthritis affecting approximately 94,000 Canadian patients.