Secukinumab is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with moderate to severe scalp psoriasis, according to Dr. Jerry Bagel of the Psoriasis Treatment Center of Central New Jersey, and his associates.
After 12 weeks of treatment with 300 mg of secukinumab, administered subcutaneously, 52.9% of the 50 patients who received secukinumab achieved a 90% reduction in their Psoriasis Scalp Severity Index score, and 35.3% achieved complete clearance of scalp psoriasis. Only 2% of the 47 patients in the placebo group achieved PSSI 90, and no one achieved complete clearance, in the phase 3b study.
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“These promising results demonstrate the possibility of establishing PSSI 90 as a new benchmark for scalp psoriasis treatment outcome,” the investigators noted. Secukinumab (Cosentyx) is approved for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, active psoriatic arthritis, and in adult patients who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Find the study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.05.033).