Novartis Releases Data on Secukinumab for Plaque Psoriasis – Analyst Blog

Novartis ( NVS ) announced positive data on pipeline candidate secukinumab (AIN457) from four phase III studies - ERASURE, FIXTURE, FEATURE and JUNCTURE.

The company is evaluating secukinumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Data from the studies showed that secukinumab 300 mg resulted in higher rates of clear to almost clear skin at week 12 as compared to placebo.

These data were presented at the European Association of Dermatology and Venereology Congress in Netherlands.

Data from the studies further confirm the results of the FIXTURE study wherein secukinumab has shown superiority to Amgen's ( AMGN ) Enbrel.

Last month, Novartis announced positive results from two phase III studies (FUTURE 1 and FUTURE 2) on secukinumab for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The studies evaluated the efficacy of secukinumab in PsA compared to placebo and assessed its safety and tolerability in the patients.

Both trials met their primary and key secondary endpoints. Results of the trial showed that treatment with secukinumab improved signs and symptoms of PsA along with improving peripheral joint disease and preventing joint damage as compared to placebo.

We note that Novartis had submitted secukinumab to regulatory bodies in both the U.S. and EU in 2013 for the treatment of psoriasis. The company is also evaluating secukinumab for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The successful development and commercialization of secukinumab for the treatment of psoriasis will further strengthen Novartis' dermatology portfolio. The company already has Xolair in its dermatology portfolio which is approved for the treatment of refractory chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in the EU and is known as refractory chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) in the U.S.

The successful development and commercialization of the pipeline is important for the company as it faces generic competition for several key drugs such as Gleevec, Zometa and Diovan.

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Novartis Releases Data on Secukinumab for Plaque Psoriasis - Analyst Blog