Psoriasis patients receiving Humira (adalimumab) achieved significant improvement in disease activity and quality of life through 60 weeks of treatment, according to new Phase II study results released here last week. The study, which assessed Humira in patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis, showed that nearly 70 per cent of patients receiving Humira 40 mg every other week experienced a 75 per cent improvement in disease activity (known as a PASI 75 response) at week 60.

In the study, 67 per cent of patients taking Humira 40 mg eow achieved at least a 75 per cent improvement in disease extent and severity after 60 weeks, as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, which measures improvements in the severity and lesional characteristics of chronic plaque psoriasis. Furthermore, after 60 weeks more than one-third (36%) of patients taking Humira 40 mg eow achieved PASI 90 - a measurement that correlates to at least a 90 per cent reduction in disease activity and severity score and is considered a significant skin measurement that goes beyond what is typically highlighted in clinical trials. Additionally, almost two-thirds (63%) of patients were determined to be "clear" or "almost clear" of their psoriasis as measured by the Physician's Global Assessment, another measurement tool used by physicians to assess severity of disease, Abbott said in a release.

"The findings of this study are significant, with nearly 70 per cent of patients experiencing sustained improvement in their disease with Humira," Richard Langley, lead study investigator, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia said adding, "Psoriasis can be unpredictable and challenging to treat, which is why it is important that we continue to seek out additional treatment options for patients, especially those who suffer from moderate to severe forms of the disease."

Humira is the only fully human monoclonal antibody approved by the FDA and the EMEA for reducing the signs and symptoms, inhibiting the progression of structural damage, and improving physical function in adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).