Novartis Korea said Monday its interleukin-17a (IL-17a) inhibitor Cosentyx (ingredient: secukinumab) began receiving reimbursement as a first-line biologics for progressive psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients who had an inadequate response to existing disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

With the recent reimbursement, the government provides another therapeutic option for domestic PsA patients with health insurance coverage for the first-line biological treatment in improving joint and skin symptoms.

Novartis Korea said Monday that Cosentyx (ingredient: secukinumab) has won reimbursement as a first-line drug for progressive psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients who showed an inadequate response to existing disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Novartis Korea said Monday that Cosentyx (ingredient: secukinumab) has won reimbursement as a first-line drug for progressive psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients who showed an inadequate response to existing disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

The reimbursement applies to active PsA patients who have been treated with two or more DMARDs for a total of six months, three months at least for a single treatment, but showed inadequate therapeutic effect or quit due to the side effects. Among the patients, those who have three or more tender and swollen joints when diagnosed twice in a monthly interval will benefit from the health insurance coverage for Cosentyx.

The early use of Cosentyx in treating PsA was limited as the drug was reimbursed only when treating patients who demonstrated weak response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors or stopped taking therapies due to adverse events.

Cosentyx directly inhibited IL-17A and showed improved the major symptoms of PsA rapidly and significantly.

The company also verified Cosentyx Cosentyx to effectively improve joint and skin compared to adalimumab in a head-to-head clinical trial EXCEED study.

Novartis’ PsA drug showed a superior response in primary composite endpoints for evaluating patients with at least 50 percent improvement in the number of tender (ACR50) and complete resolution of all diseases (PASI100).

For assessing the secondary endpoint, PASI90, the company confirmed statistical superiority in clearing skin psoriasis compared to existing drugs.

In the FUTURE 1 study, 71 percent of patients achieved ACR20 response after taking Cosentyx for five years, and 67 percent also reached PASI90 response. In addition, about 78 percent of those who received 150 milligrams of Cosentyx did not experience joint deformation for three years.

Accordingly, the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) recommended IL-17a, IL-12, or IL-23 inhibitors to be used first for skin lesions in PsA patients in its guidelines revised in 2019.

“We are very grateful that we can play a bigger role in providing therapies for PsA patients with expanded reimbursement of our Cosentyx,” Novartis Korea IHD Franchise Head Park Hye-yoon said. “We hope domestic PsA patients to achieve a better quality of life by managing joint damage and skin symptoms in early stages.”

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