Cosentyx going head-to-head with Humira in trials

Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX) has announced the beginning of SURPASS, the first head-to-head clinical trial comparing Cosentyx (secukinumab) to a proposed biosimilar version of Humira (adalimumab) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

The SURPASS and EXCEED studies are part of a larger rheumatology program for Cosentyx, with the latter being a head-to-head clinical trial comparing it to Humira (adalimumab) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which is already recruiting and is also the first study of its kind.

These data add to the evidence to underline the benefit of different biologic pathways"