First interleukin-17A inhibitor to get Japanese nod for either indication
Novartis announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) approved Cosentyx (secukinumab, formerly known as AIN457), for the treatment of both psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in adults who are not adequately responding to systemic therapies (except for biologics).
This approval marks the first country approval for Cosentyx in the world and makes it the first interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor to receive regulatory approval in either of these indications in Japan.
According to a press release from the company, Cosentyx works by inhibiting the action of IL-17A, a protein that is found in high concentrations in skin affected by psoriasis and central to the development of inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis and PsA. As approximately 30 per cent of psoriasis patients are also affected by PsA globally, this approval means that these patients in Japan now have a new treatment option that effectively treats both diseases.
Psoriasis affects up to three per cent of the world’s population, or more than 125 million people. The note estimates that in Japan, up to 430,000 people are affected by psoriasis.