Sustained skin clearance of moderate-to- severe plaque psoriasis demonstrated by Ilumya

New Ilumya(tildrakizumab-asmn) clinical insights were presented over the weekend at the 2019 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, including long-term data showing sustained skin clearance in some patients living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis after three years of ongoing treatment with Ilumya, by Indian drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (BES: 524715).

These findings from the Phase III reSURFACE 1 and reSURFACE 2 studies showed sustained response by some patients over time and Ilumyawas well tolerated with low rates of adverse events. After up to five years of treatment, all pre-specified adverse events were reported at rates <1.6 and <1.3 events per 100 patient-years in reSURFACE 1 and reSURFACE 2, respectively. Of the adverse events of interest, severe infections (1.2 and 1.5 events per 100 patient-years, respectively) and malignancies (1.2 and 0.5 events per 100 patient-years, respectively) were the most frequently reported.

The US Food and Drug Administration approval in March last year of the interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor Ilumya for adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, who are candidates for systemic or phototherapy, is based on 64-week and 52-week reSURFACE data. Sun Pharma acquired rights to the drug from Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) in September 2014 in exchange for an upfront payment of $80 million.