Ustekinumab boosts 12-week PASI-75 scores

One-year data from the second, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III study PHOENIX 1 showed that ustekinumab given every 12 weeks provided sustained, clinically-meaningful improvement in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis through one year, according to findings presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held in Texas

In the trial, 87% of patients responding to ustekinumab 45mg maintenance therapy and 91% responding to 90mg sustained at least a 75% improvement in psoriasis through one year, as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI-75).

Ustekinumab is a novel, human monoclonal antibody co-developed by USA-based Centocor and Belgium's Janssen-Cilag International NV, a unit of Johnson & Johnson. It has a novel mechanism of action that targets the cytokines interleukin-12 and IL-23, naturally-occurring proteins that are important in the body's regulation of immune responses and that are also believed to play a role in immune-mediated inflammatory disorders, including psoriasis.