by What is Plaque Psoriasis?
Plaque psoriasis is the most common type of psoriasis. It appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. These patches, also called plaques, are most often found on the scalp, elbows, knees, lumbar area, feet, palms and nails. Plaque psoriasis affects the skin, causing inflammation and overproduction of skin cells. The plaques can be itchy or painful and may crack and bleed.
Causes and Risk Factors of Plaque Psoriasis
The exact cause of plaque psoriasis is unknown, but genetics play a major role. It often runs in families. Cosentyx drug is believed that those who are genetically predisposed to psoriasis may develop the disease if triggered by external factors such as stress, weather changes, skin injury or infection. Additional risk factors include smoking, obesity and heavy alcohol consumption.
Conventional Treatments for Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis
Traditional treatments for moderate to severe psoriasis include systemic medications and phototherapy. Systemic medications introduced through the bloodstream like methotrexate, cyclosporine and acitretin can be effective but have serious side effects like liver damage if taken long-term. Phototherapy or light therapy typically involves exposure to controlled doses of ultraviolet light to slow skin cell growth. Light therapy may cause redness, itching or sunburn-like side effects. For many patients, the side effects of conventional therapies outweigh the benefits.
What is Cosentyx?
Cosentyx (secukinumab) is a prescription medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Cosentyx drug works by specifically inhibiting interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a protein involved in inflammatory processes, such as psoriasis. Blocking IL-17A can help reduce inflammation and clear psoriasis plaques.
Cosentyx was shown to provide rapid, significant clearance of psoriatic plaques versus placebo in clinical trials and maintained response over time with continuous therapy. Cosentyx also offers a favorable safety profile compared to other systemic therapies.
How is Cosentyx Administered?
Cosentyx drug is available as a 150mg or 300mg pre-filled injection pen or syringe that is given by subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. The recommended dose is 300mg by subcutaneous injection at weeks 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 followed by 300mg monthly. Cosentyx can be self-administered or given by a health care professional. No laboratory monitoring is required when taking Cosentyx.
Efficacy of Cosentyx in Clinical Trials
In comparative clinical trials, Cosentyx drug emonstrated consistently high rates of plaque clearance versus placebo and other biologic treatments.
A phase 3 trial looked at 1030 patients randomized to receive placebo, Cosentyx 300mg or X-ray therapy. At week 12, 80.8% of patients who received Cosentyx achieved a PASI 75 response, meaning at least a 75% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index compared to just 4.5% for placebo. Cosentyx was also well-tolerated with a safety profile similar to placebo.
A five-year long-term extension study found that patients maintained significant skin clearance with continuous Cosentyx drug treatment. 82% of patients treated for up to 252 weeks retained at least a 75% improvement in psoriasis symptoms, confirming the durability of response.
Cosentyx was also compared to other biologics like Stelara, Enbrel and Humira over 52 weeks and was found to be statistically superior for achieving PASI 75, 90 and 100 scores. The positive results have established Cosentyx as an effective frontline treatment option for clearing moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Safety of Cosentyx
Cosentyx drug is considered well-tolerated with a safety profile comparable to placebo. The most common side effects seen in clinical trials were upper respiratory infections like cold or sinus infection. Overall rates of serious infections were low.
Other rare but serious risks associated with Cosentyx include allergic reactions, inflammatory bowel disease and excess skin cell growth called squamous cell carcinoma. However, the risk of these side effects appears comparable to other biologic psoriasis treatments. There have been no reports of opportunistic infections or reactivation of latent infections like tuberculosis.
Cosentyx provides targeted inhibition of IL-17A without suppressing the whole immune system like other drugs, which may contribute to its favorable side effect profile. No laboratory monitoring is needed while on therapy.
Real World Experiences with Cosentyx
Real world evidence confirms the effectiveness of Cosentyx seen in clinical settings. Most patients report near total clearance of plaques within the first 3-6 months of treatment. Several patient surveys have shown reduction of itching, pain and scaling as well as improved quality of life. Dermatologists frequently cite Cosentyx as their preferred biologic option for moderate to severe psoriasis due to its rapid onset and durable responses with continued treatment. Cosentyx permits patients to enjoy clear skin with minimal risk of serious complications or interference with their daily lives.
Cosentyx drug offers an important new treatment for people living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Ravina Pandya, a content writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemicals and materials, etc. With an MBA in E-commerce, she has expertise in SEO-optimized content that resonates with industry professionals.
