Novartis has announced positive post-marketing results for its blockbuster Cosentyx, with which the pharma wants to compete with the best-selling drug.
At the 2017 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, currently being held in Madrid, Novartis has presented new data showing that Cosentyx (secukinumab) keeps improving symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis after three years of treatment and provide rapid and sustained pain relief in patients with psoriatic arthritis.
The drug was the first IL-17A inhibitor on the market and reached blockbuster status in 2016 with $1.1Bn (€1Bn) in annual sales. With Eli Lilly’s Taltz (ixekizumab) catching up, the new results could further boost Novartis‘ blockbuster. The Swiss pharma is now starting a Phase II trial in psoriatic arthritis comparing Cosentyx and AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab), currently the top-selling drug.
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