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Secukinumab: A Review in Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis

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Abstract

Secukinumab (Cosentyx™) is a fully human monoclonal immunoglobulin G1κ antibody targeting human interleukin-17A, an important cytokine in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Secukinumab, as well as being first in its drug class, is the first biologic treatment to be approved in the EU for the first-line systemic treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. This article reviews the pharmacologic properties of secukinumab and its clinical efficacy and tolerability in adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. In clinical trials, subcutaneous secukinumab was more effective than placebo, etanercept and ustekinumab at improving both psoriasis symptoms (with high skin clearance) and health-related quality of life. Moreover, secukinumab was more effective than placebo in the difficult-to-treat palmoplantar and nail psoriasis populations. Secukinumab was generally well tolerated, with low immunogenicity. Longer-term, efficacy was sustained and secukinumab remained well tolerated. Subcutaneous secukinumab is an effective and generally well tolerated first-line treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and is a useful addition to the treatment options for this disease.

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Disclosure

The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding. Karly P. Garnock-Jones is a salaried employee of Adis/Springer. During the peer review process, the manufacturer of the agent under review was offered an opportunity to comment on this article. Changes resulting from comments received were made by the author on the basis of scientific and editorial merit.

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Correspondence to Karly P. Garnock-Jones.

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The manuscript was reviewed by: S. Chimenti, Department of Dermatology, University of Rome, Rome, Italy; C. Leonardi, Department of Dermatology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; A. Ormerod, Department of Dermatology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland; F. Rossi, Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.

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Garnock-Jones, K.P. Secukinumab: A Review in Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis. Am J Clin Dermatol 16, 323–330 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-015-0143-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-015-0143-7

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