Activity in US psoriatic arthritis sector

In the most recent quarterly update of RealTime Dynamix Psoriatic Arthritis, a growing population of US rheumatologists (n=101) are reporting use of Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) Cosentyx (secukinumab) to treat their patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Nonetheless, according to the report from market intelligence agency Spherix, this increasing user base has not translated into overall increases in biologic share.  Furthermore, in second-quarter 2016, rheumatologists anticipated doubling their Cosentyx share over the subsequent six month period, a projection that panned out and was fully realized in practice. However, since the end of 2016, rheumatologists have continued to forecast positive Cosentyx growth, but have failed to see those projections through.

The majority of rheumatologists indicate that "ideal" Cosentyx patients have previously failed at least one TNF agent, a group representing nearly half of all biologic-treated PsA patients, so what is at the source of Cosentyx' apparent plateau?  Just under one-third of rheumatologists report high satisfaction with the interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitor, a lower percent compared to the leading TNF agents and Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) Stelara (ustekinumab).  Furthermore, despite Cosentyx' association with strong efficacy in skin clearance, more rheumatologists prefer AbbVie's (NYSE: ABBV) Humira (adalimumab) over Cosentyx for patients with severe psoriasis.  Finally, use of Cosentyx continues to be hampered by rheumatologists' perceptions of inferior market access compared to more established biologic brands.

Pressure ahead from PsA agents in pipeline