Scottish Medicines Consortium approves Novartis psoriasis treatment

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has issued positive advice for Cosentyx (secukinumab) from Novartis (NOVN: VX) for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Cosentyx is accepted for use within NHS Scotland for those with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who have failed to respond to standard therapies, or those that are intolerant to, or cannot take these treatments. Secukinumab is currently the only licensed therapy that blocks the IL-17A protein found in increased concentrations in psoriasis-affected skin. It has also received a positive recommendation by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK.

David Burden, consultant dermatologist, Western Infirmary, Glasgow said: “The SMC’s decision regarding secukinumab marks a step change in the treatment of psoriasis. Our patients’ goal is skin that is clear of psoriasis. Secukinumab is a new type of medicine that targets a specific disease pathway. In clinical trials we have seen it deliver high levels of skin clearance. I am delighted that clinicians and patients in Scotland will now have this treatment available to them.”