NEW PROMISE FOR A NEW DRUG FOR SEVERE FORM OF ARTHRITIS

There are many types of arthritis, but there are two that can be quite crippling. One is called ankylosing spondylitis or AS and it mostly devastates the spine, causing two or more bones to fuse, and thus, significantly reduce mobility. Aside from the fact that there are few therapeutic options available, approximately 20 percent to 40 percent of patients do not respond well to standard of care biologic medicines.

Another is psoriatic arthritis or PsA, an inflammatory condition of the joints that is often associated with a scaly skin condition called psoriasis (hence the name). As with psoriasis, PsA can range from mild to severe—it can also grow progressively worse, and lead to permanent bone damage.

Just recently, Novartis announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved secukinumab (Cosentyx) for the treatment of these two conditions. Secukinumab was launched in 2015.

During the 23rd Philippine Rheumatology Association Annual Meeting held at Conrad Hotel early this year, Dr. Eugene Lim, a rheumatologist at Parkway Hospitals Singapore, secukinumab is the first in a new class of medicines called interleukin17A (IL-17A) inhibitors to treat both AS and PsA.

“There is an urgent need for new AS and PsA treatments because a significant number of patients do not respond well to anti-TNF therapy, the current standard of care (anti-TNF are class of biologic agents that blocks a specific protein called TNF of the immune system known to increase arthritis and other inflammatory diseases). Secukinumab brings new hope to people living with AS and PsA as it provides a novel and targeted way of inhibiting the inflammatory process of these two conditions,” said Lim.

Cosentyx, which is not an anti TNF, works by neutralizing the activity of the IL-17A, a type of protein that is present at increased levels in conditions such as SA and PsA. Research shows that IL-17A plays an important role in driving the body's immune response in AS and PsA.