NEW DRUG CLEARS PSORIASIS IN CLINICAL TRIALS

About 80 percent of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis saw their disease completely or almost completely cleared with a new drug called Ixekizumab, according to three large, long-term clinical trials led by Northwestern Medicine.

Affecting about 3 percent of the world's population, psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease that causes itchy, dry and red skin. It is also associated with an increased risk for depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions.

Ixekizumab works by neutralizing a pathway in the immune system known to promote psoriasis.

To test the drug's efficacy over time, and to help clinicians determine whether its benefits outweigh any risks, the three studies enrolled a total of 3,736 adult patients at more than 100 study sites in 21 countries. All participants had moderate to severe psoriasis, which is defined as covering 10 percent or more of the body. Patients were randomly assigned to receive injections of Ixekizumab at various doses or a placebo over a period of more than a year.

The investigators assessed whether the drug reduced the severity of psoriasis symptoms compared to the placebo and evaluated safety by monitoring adverse events. By the 12th week, 76.4 to 81.8 percent of patients had their psoriasis classified as "clear" or "minimal" compared to 3.2% of patients on the placebo. By the 60th week, 68.7 to 78.3 percent of patients had maintained their improvement.

Thanks to: sciencedaily.com