New Treatment Approved in Scotland for Painful Skin Condition, UK

Novartis has announced that the Scottish Medicines Consortium has approved Consentyx (secukinumab) to treat adults with active moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in Scotland on the NHS. Adult patients with active, moderate-to-severe HS who have responded inadequately to AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab) will be eligible to receive the treatment. Affecting approximately 2% of the Scottish population, HS is a painful, long-term skin condition that causes skin abscesses and scarring. It occurs near hair follicles where there are sweat glands, in areas such as the groin and armpits. The SMC’s decision was based on results from two phase 3 trials, SUNSHINE and SUNRISE, which showed that treatment response rates in patients randomised to receive Consentyx improved beyond the primary endpoint analysis at week 16, with over 55% of patients achieving a HS clinical response at week 52. In addition, a total of 50% of patients randomised to Consentyx had a reduction in HS-related pain at week 52. Now the second biologic treatment option to receive positive SMC advice for the treatment of HS, Consentyx directly inhibits interleukin-17A, a key cytokine involved in the inflammation of various conditions. It is approved in more than 100 countries, most recently in Europe and over one million patients have been treated worldwide since its launch in 2015. Dr Fiona Craig, consultant dermatologist, Scotland, said: The approval of [Consentyx] for HS… is a positive step for sufferers of this condition in Scotland and provides physicians in Scotland with a second treatment option that has been shown to reduce disease activity and improve the quality of life for patients with HS.