New drug cures psoriasis
The results of three long-term phase III clinical trials conducted under the supervision of Professor Kenneth Gordon from Northwestern University indicate that in almost 80% of cases, the new experimental drug ixekizumab completely or almost completely cures moderate and severe forms of psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that affects about 3% of people and is characterized by the appearance of itchy areas of red, dry skin. It is also associated with an increased risk of depression, heart disease, diabetes mellitus and other pathologies.
The mechanism of action of ixekizumab is to neutralize the signaling pathway of the immune system, which is considered responsible for the development of psoriasis.
To test the effectiveness of the drug over a long period of time, as well as to assess the predominance of its beneficial effect over possible risks, 3,736 adult patients were included in three clinical trials. More than 100 clinics from 21 countries took part in the research. All participants were diagnosed with moderate or severe psoriasis, in which the affected foci cover 10% or more of the skin. Patients were randomly divided into groups receiving injections of different doses of ixekizumab or placebo. The duration of experimental therapy was more than a year.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the ability of the drug to reduce the severity of psoriasis symptoms compared to placebo, as well as to assess its safety by monitoring side effects. At week 12, 76.4-81.8% of the participants were assessed as free from the disease or characterized by its minimal manifestations. For placebo-treated patients, this figure was 3.2%. At the 60th week, the condition of 68.7%-78.3% of participants remained at the same level.
Side effects of the drug were manifested by a slight increase in the frequency of neutropenia (a decrease in the number of a certain type of immune cells), yeast infections and intestinal inflammation compared with the placebo group. The safety of therapy for more than 60 weeks will be assessed during further monitoring of the patients' condition.
Based on the results obtained, experts expect that the drug, which has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the end of the studies, will have an exceptionally high level of effectiveness of psoriasis therapy and will provide complete elimination of symptoms in 40% of patients. According to Professor Gordon, even 10 years ago, doctors believed that a complete cure for psoriasis was impossible, but the new drug inspires great hopes.
Article by Kenneth B. Gordon et al. Phase 3 Trials of Ixekizumab in Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on materials from Northwestern University: New Drug Clears Psoriasis in Clinical Trials.
16.06.2016