Dear All,

Greetings of the day!

The highlight of this issue is the success of Secukinumab, a human anti-interleukin -17 A monoclonal antibody, evaluated in psoriatic arthritis patients in a large randomized multicenter phase-3 trial. The findings of the trial were published in the June issue of Lancet. McInnes IB and his team studied this drug in three different doses, 300 mg, 150 mg and 75 mg and compared the same with placebo in a total of 397 patients (around 100 patients in each group) at 76 centers around the world. After 6 months of therapy, they found significant improvement in the 300 mg (ACR 20: 54%) and 150 mg (ACR 20: 51%) groups as compared to placebo (ACR 20: 15%) with a good safety profile. This study is a significant advancement in the therapy of PsA. Around 30% of patients with PsA fail to respond to TNFi therapy. Moreover, secondary failure rates remain high. Therefore, newer treatment options for those who fail TNFi therapy or those in whom TNFi therapy is contraindicated are an important perceived need amongst clinicians and patients. Secukinumab, an anti IL-17A antibody, has shown promise in the treatment of peripheral arthritis of PsA. The drug has also been shown to be efficacious in the management of ankylosing spondylitis and psoriasis. Thus, the drug seems to have efficacy in all domains of PsA and is an important addition to the PsA drug armamentarium.

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Regards,

Banwari Sharma
Editor, IRA e-Newsletter