|
 The study involving 1,048 participants showed Tremfya was superior
to Novartis' Cosentyx in reducing the severity and area of the body
affected by the condition, which causes dry, flaky and itchy skin
patches, J&J said.
After 48 weeks of therapy, 84.5 percent of the patients treated with
Tremfya showed 90 percent improvement in disease symptoms, as
measured by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), while only 70
percent of those treated with Cosentyx showed similar results.
However, J&J said Tremfya was not superior to Cosentyx in
demonstrating quicker effectiveness.
"Results of the study confirm a slightly more rapid onset of
response with Cosentyx, but most importantly, in a chronic disease
like psoriasis, these data provide new insights into comparative
longer-term efficacy," Richard Langley, lead investigator of the
study, said.
[to top of second column] |
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes an overproduction
of skin cells, resulting in inflamed, red lesions or plaques, which
can be itchy and painful.
About 7.5 million Americans live with plaque psoriasis, of which 20
percent have moderate to severe form of the disease, the company
said.
Tremfya, first approved in July 2017 as a plaque psoriasis treatment
in the U.S., is also being tested as a treatment for psoriatic
arthritis and Crohn's disease.
Cosentyx, which has been approved in the U.S. for plaque psoriasis,
scalp psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, is a key sales driver which
raked in $2.1 billion for the drugmaker in 2017.
(Reporting by Manogna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak
Dasgupta)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
