Novartis presents new two year data for Cosentyx® showing no progression in joint damage in 84% of psoriatic arthritis patients

Novartis International AG / Novartis presents new two year data for Cosentyx® showing no progression in joint damage in 84% of psoriatic arthritis patients . Processed and transmitted by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

• New x-ray assessment data, from a sub-study, showed no progression of joint structural damage in the majority of patients with psoriatic arthritis over two years[1]
• Psoriatic arthritis patients on Cosentyx maintained treatment response in joint and skin disease, physical function and quality of life over two years[1]
• Cosentyx is the first interleukin-17A inhibitor to demonstrate efficacy in Phase III studies of patients with psoriatic arthritis[2],[3]

The digital press release with multimedia content can be accessed here:

Basel, November 8, 2015 - Novartis announced today new results for Cosentyx^® (secukinumab) showing no further progression in joint damage in 84% of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In addition, Cosentyx maintained a treatment response in joint and skin disease, physical function and quality of life in patients over two years of treatment[1]. These results from the extension phase of the FUTURE 1 study were presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in San Francisco, United States.

Cosentyx is the first of a new class of medicines called interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitors to demonstrate efficacy in Phase III studies in PsA - a life-long inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints. If not treated effectively, it can lead to irreversible joint damage and disability caused by years of inflammation[2]-[4].

"Psoriatic arthritis patients need therapies that can prevent the progression of this debilitating disease. In this two-year study, Cosentyx showed no further progression in joint damage in over 80% of PsA patients while maintaining improvements in joint and skin disease, physical function, and quality of life," said Vasant Narasimhan, Global Head of Development, Novartis Pharmaceuticals. "These results show the potential for Cosentyx to create an important new option for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis".