Novartis’ Cosentyx approved in China for adult psoriasis patients

Novartis got approval from the China Health Authority NMPA for
Cosentyx (secukinumab), its the first-in-class interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

Paul Hudson, CEO Novartis Pharmaceuticals, said in a released statemtn that managing psoriatic disease is a key focus for for the company.

“With Cosentyx, we are offering a new treatment to doctors and psoriasis patients in China which can act within 3 weeks, has demonstrated sustained safety in more than 200,000 patients worldwide and can deliver what doctors and patients are looking for.”

Ingrid Zhang, President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals China said that the approval of Cosentyx has marked a new era of psoriasis treatment, redefining the treatment goal by making clear or almost clear skin achievable. Zhang said that the introduction of Cosentyx should bring outstanding clinical benefit to many patients with psoriasis in China and improve their quality of life.

According to an information in the press release, currently in China there are more than 6 million people living with psoriasis including mild, moderate and severe forms of the disease.

Cosentyx is the first and only fully-human treatment for psoriasis, that specifically inhibits IL-17A. Cosentyx is characterized by sustained safety, fast and long-lasting control, and placebo-like injection site reaction. A recently published Phase III study in patients in China showed that 80.9% of the patients treated with Cosentyx 300mg on an every 4 week dosing regimen (q4w) after loading achieved clear or almost clear skin during the first 12 weeks of treatment, and close to 9/10 patients after 16 weeks (87.0%).