Sun Pharma announces promising data for new indication on Ilumya drug

The interim analysis revealed that over 71 percent of patients treated with Ilumya experienced a 20 percent improvement in joint and skin symptoms, meeting the primary endpoint of the study, Sun Pharma said in a statement.

Moneycontrol News.

Sun Pharma on June 14 announced promising interim results from a Phase 2 study on Ilumya, a drug used to treat active psoriatic arthritis in patients. The announcement was made at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Madrid, Spain.

Ilumya is already approved in the US for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and is now being investigated for psoriatic arthritis. The positive results for additional indication can help Sun Pharma to expand its sales of the drug.

Ilumya, generically called as tildrakizumab-asmn, belongs to the class of interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor, which is used for the treatment of the most common plaque psoriasis – a chronic immune disease that causes red, scaly patches of dead skin cells to appear on the skin.

The interim analysis revealed that over 71 percent of patients treated with Ilumya experienced a 20 percent improvement in joint and skin symptoms, meeting the primary endpoint of the study, Sun Pharma said in a statement.

The interim results showed Ilumya was well tolerated, with a low rate of adverse events from the treatment, the company added.

Psoriatic arthritis, which affects up to 42 percent of people with plaque psoriasis, is an inflammatory condition that impacts both the joints and skin. It is painful, causes fatigue, and can lead to swelling and stiffness of the joints that may reduce range of motion. If left untreated, this chronic condition can lead to permanent joint damage.

Sun Pharma acquired rights for Tildrakizumab from US drug maker Merck in 2014 for $80 million.

While Merck was responsible for completion of phase-3 clinical trials and the submission of its biologics license application (BLA) to the US FDA, Sun Pharma will be responsible for all other regulatory activities, including subsequent submissions, drug safety, post approval studies, manufacturing and commercialization of the approved product.

Analysts estimate the peak sales of the Ilumya to be around $300 million.