BOSTON – Secukinumab showed enduring efficacy in ankylosing spondylitis after 52 weeks of treatment, based on data reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.
The monoclonal antibody, which targets interleukin-17A, is the first drug with demonstrated efficacy against ankylosing spondylitis since the introduction of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.
In our exclusive video interview, Dr. Dominique Baeten, professor of clinical immunology and rheumatology at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, outlines results from the phase III trial in 371 U.S. and European patients, describes how targeting the IL-17A pathway is uniquely beneficial in AS, and discusses new data from other secukinumab trials in psoriatic arthritis patients.
Secukinumab’s maker, Novartis, sponsored the study. Dr. Baeten has received research grants from Novartis and other drug companies.