Novartis announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion recommending approval of Cosentyx (secukinumab, formerly known as AIN457) as a first-line systemic treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy. 

This recommendation would mean doctors could use secukinumab first-line to treat their psoriasis patients, as an alternative to other first-line systemic treatments, which have significant side effects. Currently, all biologic treatments for psoriasis, including anti- tumor necrosis factor therapies (anti-TNFs) and ustekinumab are recommended for second-line systemic therapy in Europe.

Secukinumab (at a dose of 300 mg) is the first interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor to be recommended as a first-line treatment option for psoriasis patients who require systemic therapy in Europe. Secukinumab works by inhibiting the action of IL-17A, a protein that is found in high concentrations in skin affected by the disease.

For more details, go to: http://www.novartis.com/newsroom/media-releases/en/2014/1873177.shtml