BRIEF—MHRA approval for Cosentyx in pediatric arthritis conditions

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted marketing authorisation for Cosentyx (secukinumab), alone or in combination with methotrexate (MTX), in two types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

These approvals have come in enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and juvenile psoriatic arthritis (JPsA), in patients six years and older whose disease has responded inadequately to, or who cannot tolerate, conventional therapy.

This approval is based on results from the Phase III JUNIPERA trial, which showed significantly longer time to flare for both JPsA and ERA patients who were treated with the Novartis drug compared with those given the placebo. The risk of flare was reduced by 72% for patients on Cosentyx for two years compared with patients on placebo.