FDA Expands Psoriasis Drug's Indication

The FDA has approved Taltz (ixekizumab) injection 80 mg/mL for the treatment of adults with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

The drug was first approved in March 2016 for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who were candidates for systemic therapy of phototherapy. It can be administered alone or in combination with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, such as methotrexate.
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Taltz’s safety and efficacy were determined in 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 studies (SPIRIT-P1 and SPIRIT-P2). In SPIRIT-P1, Taltz was compared with placebo in patients with active PsA who had never been treated with a  biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. In SPIRIT-P2, Taltz was compared with placebo in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor-experienced patients with active PsA who failed to respond to 1 or 2 TNF inhibitors.

Study results demonstrated that those patients treated with Taltz achieved significant improvement in joint symptoms, as measured by ACR20, compared with placebo.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Lilly's Taltz® (ixekizumab) receives U.S. FDA approval for the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis [press release]. Indianapolis, Indiana. December 1, 2017. https://investor.lilly.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1050469.