Abbott data shows drug clears psoriasis

Psoriasis :: Abbott data shows drug clears psoriasis

Abbott Laboratories said that three out of four patients suffering from psoriasis showed significant improvement when given the anti-inflammation treatment Humira in a late-stage clinical trial.

Psoriasis patients experienced a significant reduction in the signs of their disease when treated with Abbott's HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab), and they were significantly less likely to have their disease signs worsen when they used HUMIRA continuously. The safety profile of HUMIRA was found to be consistent with earlier clinical studies of HUMIRA in psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. These findings from the REVEAL study of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

REVEAL is the second Phase III study to show positive results for HUMIRA in psoriasis. Abbott will submit REVEAL results as part of a regulatory application for a psoriasis indication in the United States and Europe, expected during the first half of 2007.

Psoriasis is a non-contagious, often painful autoimmune disease characterized by raised, inflamed, scaly, red skin lesions known as plaques, which may crack and bleed. In addition to these visible symptoms, people with psoriasis may suffer from poor self-image, social isolation and even depression. There is currently no cure for psoriasis, which affects an estimated 125 million people worldwide, with approximately 25 percent of patients experiencing moderate to severe disease. While psoriasis can occur in people of all ages, it typically appears in patients between the ages of 15 and 35.