Amgen announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the expanded use of Enbrel (etanercept), making it the first and only systemic therapy to treat pediatric patients (ages 4-17) with chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

"As many parents of children with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis can tell you, there is a need for FDA approved systemic therapies in the pediatric setting. Until now, no biologics — which are effective in treating adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis — had been approved in the US for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in children," said Randy Beranek, president and chief executive officer of the National Psoriasis Foundation. "This new approval is an important development for this patient community, as well as their parents and families, and marks a significant milestone in advancing the treatment of children living with this devastating disease."

The approval is based on results from a phase 3 one-year study and its five-year open-label extension study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Enbrel in pediatric patients, ages 4 to 17, with chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. In addition to demonstrating significant efficacy, the adverse events were similar to those seen in previous studies in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

"The need for an effective treatment for chronic moderate-to-severe pediatric psoriasis patients is high, and safety is always a concern when it comes to treating children. Enbrel has over a decade of experience in adult moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and that proven track record matters to healthcare professionals, as well as the parents of children with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis," said Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "Today's FDA approval shows that innovation doesn't stop with a drug's first market approval, and further reflects Amgen's commitment to continually unlock and expand the therapeutic potential of our medicines in the hopes of filling unmet patient needs."

Psoriasis is a serious, chronic inflammatory disease that causes raised, red, scaly patches to appear on the skin, typically affecting the outside of the elbows, knees or scalp, though it can appear on any location. Approximately 125 million people worldwide have psoriasis and 80 per cent of those patients have plaque psoriasis. About one-third of psoriasis cases are pediatric.

Enbrel is a soluble form of a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor with a clinical efficacy and safety profile established over 15 years of collective clinical experience. Enbrel was first approved in 1998 for moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. Enbrel was approved in 1999 to treat moderate-to-severe polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, in 2002 to treat psoriatic arthritis, in 2003 for the treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis, and in 2004 to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults. Prescription Enbrel is given by injection.

In US Enbrel is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms, inducing major clinical response, inhibiting the progression of structural damage, and improving physical function in patients with moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Enbrel can be initiated in combination with methotrexate (MTX) or used alone.

Enbrel is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms of moderately-to-severely active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in patients ages two and older. Enbrel is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms, inhibiting the progression of structural damage of active arthritis, and improving physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Enbrel can be used with or without methotrexate. Enbrel is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis. Enbrel is indicated for the treatment of patients 4 years or older with chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.