Pharmaprojects R&D Pipeline News Feed
New biologic gives hope to UK psoriasis sufferers
12 Feb 2009
Johnson & Johnson's novel fully-human antibody Stelera (ustekinumab) is now available in the UK for use in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriais. Stelera is the first of a wave of biologics targeting the cytokines interleukin-12 and -23 and is the first such product to reach the market.
Stelera was approved in the EU last month, after two-thirds of patients in two Phase III trials experienced significant skin clearance following 12 weeks of treatment, with this efficacy maintained through 76 weeks on maintenance therapy. Importantly, it was also shown to be more effective than the current market leader Enbrel (Amgen's anti-TNF fusion protein etanercept) in a head-to-head study.
Hot on Stelera's heels is Abbott's similar antibody, ABT-874, which is in Phase III trials in psoriasis. Synta Pharmaceuticals has an orally-available IL-12 and -23-blocking small molecule in Phase II, whilst Arana Pharmaceuticals currently has the antibody ART-123 undergoing preclinical development. This can only be good news for the UK's estimated 1.5 million psoriatics and demonstrates the great potential of such antibodies in autoimmune disease.
