ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Abbott has received marketing authorization from the European Commission for the use of HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) as a treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. HUMIRA is the first fully human, self-injectable biologic for the treatment of psoriasis. In one clinical trial, more than 80 percent of patients taking HUMIRA achieved skin clearance of 75 percent or better and in another, almost three quarters of patients achieved 75 percent clearance. In both trials, nearly half of the patients taking HUMIRA achieved 90 percent clearance as early as 16 weeks into treatment. Psoriasis is the fifth approved indication for HUMIRA in the European Union. A regulatory application for HUMIRA to treat psoriasis is also under review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“Psoriasis is not only a skin disease -- it is a systemic, autoimmune disorder that, in its more severe forms, may require systemic treatment,” said Professor Jean-Hilaire Saurat, M.D., chairman, department of dermatology, University of Geneva, Switzerland. “HUMIRA is the first and only biologic that has been compared to methotrexate, and this approval brings an important new option for dermatologists to treat this disease.”
Psoriasis is a non-contagious, chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself. The most obvious physical symptom of the condition is raised, inflamed, scaly, red skin lesions known as plaques, which may crack and bleed. Psoriasis is more than painful skin lesions; data also suggest an association with other health conditions, including psoriatic arthritis. Patients may also suffer from poor self-image and social isolation.
“Patients taking HUMIRA for psoriasis experienced rapid, significant skin clearance and maintained improvement for up to a year,” said Eugene Sun, M.D., vice president, Global Pharmaceutical Clinical Development, Abbott. “This fifth indication for HUMIRA demonstrates its versatility in effectively treating multiple autoimmune disorders from rheumatoid arthritis to Crohn’s disease and now psoriasis.”
About HUMIRA Psoriasis Clinical Trials
The approval is primarily based on the results of two randomized, controlled, multi-center clinical trials in adult patients: CHAMPION and REVEAL. In both trials, the signs and symptoms of psoriasis were measured and evaluated using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) among other measures. CHAMPION was the first head-to-head study comparing a biologic medication to methotrexate, a standard systemic treatment for psoriasis.
The most commonly reported adverse events in HUMIRA psoriasis trials were nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the nose and pharynx), upper respiratory tract infection and headache.
In the EU, the recommended HUMIRA dosing for adult patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis is 80 mg at week zero, followed by 40 mg every other week starting at week one. HUMIRA is administered subcutaneously.
HUMIRA has ten years of clinical experience. More than 190,000 patients worldwide are currently being treated with HUMIRA. HUMIRA is also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis, a form of arthritis that affects up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis.
More Information About Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that speeds the growth cycle of skin cells and results in thick scaly areas of skin. The most common form of psoriasis appears as red, raised areas of skin covered with flaky white scales, which may itch or burn. Psoriasis most commonly appears on the scalp, knees, elbows, lower back, hands and feet, though it can develop anywhere on the skin. It may even occur in the fingernails and toenails.
While psoriasis occurs in people of all ages, it typically appears in patients between the ages of 15 and 25. Psoriasis affects an estimated 125 million people worldwide. The severity of the disease varies from person to person with approximately 25 percent of patients experiencing moderate-to-severe disease.
Important Safety Information
Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information.
Serious infections, sepsis, rare cases of tuberculosis (TB), and opportunistic infections, including fatalities, have been reported with the use of TNF antagonists, including HUMIRA. Many of the serious infections have occurred in patients on concomitant immunosuppressive therapy that, in addition to their underlying disease could predispose them to infections. Patients must be monitored closely for infections, including tuberculosis, before, during and after treatment with HUMIRA. Treatment should not be initiated in patients with active infections until infections are controlled. HUMIRA should not be used by patients with active TB or other severe infections such as sepsis and opportunistic infections. Patients who develop new infections while using HUMIRA should be monitored closely. HUMIRA should be discontinued if a patient develops a new serious infection until infections are controlled. Physicians should exercise caution when considering use of HUMIRA in patients with a history of recurring infection or with underlying conditions that may predispose patients to infections.
TNF-blocking agents have been associated with reactivation of hepatitis B (HBV) in patients who are chronic carriers of the virus. Some cases have been fatal. Patients at risk for HBV infection should be evaluated for prior evidence of HBV infection before initiating HUMIRA.
The combination of HUMIRA and anakinra is not recommended.
TNF antagonists, including HUMIRA, have been associated in rare cases with demyelinating disease and serious allergic reactions. Rare reports of pancytopenia including aplastic anemia have been reported with TNF-blocking agents. Adverse events of the haematologic system, including medically significant cytopenia have been infrequently reported with HUMIRA.
More cases of malignancies including lymphoma have been observed among patients receiving a TNF antagonist compared with control patients in clinical trials. The size of the control group and limited duration of the controlled portions of studies precludes the ability to draw firm conclusions. Furthermore, there is an increased background lymphoma risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients with long-standing, highly active, inflammatory disease, which complicates the risk estimation. During the long-term open-label trials with HUMIRA, the overall rate of malignancies was similar to what would be expected for an age-, gender- and race-matched general population. With the current knowledge, a possible risk for the development of lymphomas or other malignancies in patients treated with a TNF antagonist cannot be excluded. All patients, and in particular patients with a medical history of extensive immunosuppressant therapy or psoriasis patients with a history of PUVA treatment, should be examined for the presence of non-melanoma skin cancer prior to and during treatment with HUMIRA.
In clinical studies with another TNF antagonist, a higher rate of serious congestive heart failure (CHF) related adverse events including worsening CHF and new onset CHF have been reported. Cases of worsening CHF have also been reported in patients receiving HUMIRA. Physicians should exercise caution when using HUMIRA in patients who have heart failure and monitor them carefully. HUMIRA should not be used in patients with moderate or severe heart failure.
The most frequently reported adverse event (>1/10 patients) at least possibly causally related to HUMIRA is injection site reaction (including pain, swelling, redness or pruritus). Other common adverse events (reported by >1/100 patients) at least possibly causally related to HUMIRA include lower respiratory infections (including pneumonia, bronchitis), viral infections (including influenza, herpes infections), candidiasis, bacterial infection (including urinary tract infections), upper respiratory infection, dizziness (including vertigo), headache, neurologic sensation disorders (including paraesthesias), cough, nasopharyngeal pain, diarrhea, abdominal pain, stomatitis and mouth ulceration, nausea, hepatic enzymes increased, rash, pruritus, musculoskeletal pain, pyrexia and fatigue (including asthenia and malaise).
About HUMIRA
HUMIRA is the only fully human monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and Crohn.s disease in the United States and Europe. HUMIRA resembles antibodies normally found in the body. It works by blocking tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), a protein that, when produced in excess, plays a central role in the inflammatory responses of many immune-mediated diseases. To date, HUMIRA has been approved in 73 countries and more than 190,000 people worldwide are currently being treated with HUMIRA.
In May 2007, Abbott announced it had submitted E.U. and U.S. regulatory applications for HUMIRA to treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Clinical trials are underway evaluating the potential of HUMIRA in ulcerative colitis.
In the United States, HUMIRA is approved by the FDA for reducing signs and symptoms, inducing major clinical response, inhibiting the progression of joint structural damage, and improving physical function in adult patients with moderately to severely active RA. HUMIRA is indicated for reducing the signs and symptoms of active arthritis, inhibiting the progression of structural damage and improving physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis. HUMIRA can be used alone or in combination with methotrexate or other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). HUMIRA is also approved for reducing signs and symptoms in patients with active AS. In February 2007, HUMIRA was approved for reducing the signs and symptoms and inducing and maintaining clinical remission in adults with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy and in reducing signs and symptoms and inducing clinical remission in these patients if they have also lost response to or are intolerant to infliximab.
In Europe, HUMIRA, in combination with methotrexate (MTX), is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe, active RA in adult patients when the response to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) including MTX has been inadequate, and for the treatment of severe, active and progressive RA in adults not previously treated with MTX. HUMIRA can be given as monotherapy in case of intolerance to MTX or when continued treatment with MTX is inappropriate. HUMIRA has been shown to reduce the rate of progression of joint damage as measured by x-ray and to improve physical function, when given in combination with MTX.
Also in Europe, HUMIRA is indicated for the treatment of active and progressive PsA in adults when the response to previous DMARD therapy has been inadequate and for the treatment of severe, active AS in adults who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy. HUMIRA is indicated for treatment of severe, active Crohn’s disease, in patients who have not responded despite a full and adequate course of therapy with a corticosteroid and/or an immunosuppressant; or who are intolerant to or have medical contraindications for such therapies. For induction treatment, HUMIRA should be given in combination with corticosteroids. HUMIRA can be given as monotherapy in case of intolerance to corticosteroids or when continued treatment with corticosteroids is inappropriate. With today’s announcement, HUMIRA is now indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adult patients who failed to respond to or who have a contraindication to, or are intolerant to other systemic therapy including cyclosporine, methotrexate or PUVA.
Abbott’s Commitment to Immunology
Abbott is focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for immunologic diseases. The Abbott Bioresearch Center, founded in 1989 in Worcester, Mass., United States, is a world-class discovery and basic research facility committed to finding new treatments for autoimmune diseases.
More information about HUMIRA, including full prescribing information, is available on the Web site http://www.HUMIRA.com.
About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.
Abbott’s news releases and other information are available on the company’s Web site at http://www.abbott.com.
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