Abbott drug Humira ‘offers new therapeutic option’ for psoriasis patients

Abbott has reported that the recent regulatory approvals of Humira (adalimumab) for patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis offers a new treatment option in this area.

The approvals of the drug are based on the key Reveal and Champion clinical trials that showed nearly three-quarters of patients taking Humira exhibited 75 per cent clearance or better after 16 weeks of treatment.

Consequently, the company has received marketing authorisation for the compound from the European Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration for patients diagnosed with the autoimmune disease that results in sometimes painful and itchy skin lesions.

Alan Menter, chairman of the division of dermatology at Baylor University Medical Centre, said: “Humira offers dermatologists an important new therapeutic option that has been shown to help alleviate a range of psoriasis signs and symptoms – including redness, scaling and itching – in many psoriasis patients.”

He added that the approval is good news for individuals with the of the disease, which can have a deep emotional and physical impact on their lives.

Abbott received marketing approval for the compound in the US last week, having received authorisation to sell the drug in the EU last month.