The Korean branch of Eli Lilly said that it had gained additional reimbursement for its psoriasis treatment Taltz (Ingredient: ixekizumab) for treating active and progressive psoriatic arthritis from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The decision comes after the company received insurance benefits for treating patients with chronic severe plaque psoriasis in August last year.

The latest move covers patients with active and progressive psoriatic arthritis, who had an insufficient response to one or more TNF-α inhibitors or have discontinued treatment due to side effects or contraindications and has seen more than 30 percent reduction in the number of active joints after using Taltz for three months.

Applicable patients will receive insurance benefit for an additional six months of use and undergo evaluation at the end of the treatment to decide on further prescription.

“Taltz has demonstrated rapid and high therapeutic efficacy in psoriatic arthritis as well as in plaque psoriasis through numerous clinical studies, and it also has long-term treatment efficacy and safety profile in the five-year data from psoriasis clinical trials,” said Cho Sung-ja, vice president for Eli Lilly Korea’s medical division.

The company expects Taltz auto-injector, which improves the ease of administration, will improve the therapeutic efficacy and compliance of patients with psoriatic arthritis, Cho added.