Novartis to Present Promising 4-year Data of Cosentyx at International Conference

Novartis will present new four-year data from the MEASURE 1 study showing how Cosentyx (secukinumab) benefits patients with ankylosing spondylitis at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, Nov. 3-8.

The data shows that Cosentyx is capable of reducing structural disease progression in ankylosing spondylitis patients, which is a cause of severe impairment in spinal mobility in this patient population.

Cosentyx is the first and only fully human monoclonal antibody that is able to selectively neutralize a molecule called interleukin-17A (IL-17A), which is involved in the development of ankylosing spondylitis and also psoriatic arthritis. IL-17A has been shown to act as a trigger of auto-inflammatory conditions.

“Maintaining mobility is our hope and vision for every patient with chronic inflammatory diseases such as AS [ankylosing spondylitis] and PsA [psoriatic arthritis],” said Vas Narasimhan, Global Head, Drug Development and chief medical officer at Novartis, in a press release.

“Reducing radiographic progression would be a strong signal for patients who hope to stay mobile as this would result in a significant improvement of their quality of life,” Narasimhan added.

In June, Novartis presented data from a three-year analysis of patients enrolled in the Phase 3 MEASURE 1 study (NCT01358175) at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2017) in Madrid, Spain.

The results showed that Cosentyx improves both disease signs and symptoms of patients with active ankylosing spondylitis; an extension study of the trial showed that from 274 ankylosing spondylitis patients, 80 percent achieved an “ASAS 20” response after three years. ASA, or “Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society” response criteria, is a measure that indicates an improvement of at least 20 percent in specific parameters, such as patient global assessment, pain, function, and inflammation.

In addition, Cosentyx also is being tested as a therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Data from FUTURE 1 (NCT01392326) and FUTURE 2 (NCT01752634) trials showed the therapy’s safety and effectiveness in this patient population. In the FUTURE 2 trial, 28 percent of the patients treated with Cosentyx reported no pain or discomfort after two years of treatment.

Now, at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Novartis also will present data from the 24-week FUTURE 5 trial (NCT02404350) testing Cosentyx in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. This condition, like ankylosing spondylitis, also is characterized by significant impairment in mobility due to structural impairments.

Cosentyx is the first IL-17A inhibitor that has been approved in more than 70 countries, including the U.S. and European Union, for the treatment of active ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.