Novartis says its Cosentyx shows efficacy in Phase III trial for ankylosing spondylitis

Swiss drug major Novartis (NOVN: VX) said late stage data for its interleukin (IL)-17A antagonist Cosentyx (secukinumab) showed significantly reduced signs and symptoms of active ankylosing spondylitis versus placebo. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Vasant Narasimhan, global head of development, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, said: “Ankylosing spondylitis is a debilitating disease and many patients do not achieve a sufficient and sustained response from current therapies. These two studies demonstrate the potential of Cosentyx to address this significant unmet need and we look forward to continuing to generate longer term data on the effect of IL-17A inhibition on ankylosing spondylitis.”

Atul Deodhar, an investigator in the Cosentyx clinical trial program, said the findings "[add] to our growing understanding of the key role IL-17 plays in the pathophysiology of the disease."