Cimzia approved in Japan for people living with multiple psoriatic diseases

The Japanese health authorities have approved Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) to treat plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, pustular psoriasis and psoriatic erythroderma for which existing treatment methods are not sufficiently effective, the drug’s developer, Belgium’s largest drugmaker UCB (Euronext Brussels: UCB), announced today.

The approval makes Cimzia the first Fc-free, PEGylated anti-TNF treatment option now available for these patients in Japan, where the drug is marketed jointly with Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503). Cimzia is currently UCB’s biggest selling product and the company expects the drug to reach peak sales of 1.7 billion euros ($1.87 billion) by 2024.

“UCB is thrilled to see the continued expansion of Cimzia for patient populations with unmet needs in an important market like Japan. This approval and launch provide Japanese psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients and their physicians with a highly effective new biologic option that provides durable disease control. This milestone reinforces our commitment to improving care for people living with these challenging psoriatic diseases,” said Emmanuel Caeymaex, head of immunology and US solutions and executive vice president, UCB.