The new treatment for psoriasis, ixekizumab, reduces plaques and itching as early as four weeks. At three months, 90% of patients feel better.
In four weeks, the psoriasis patches had receded sharply. A clinical trial involving 2,500 people demonstrates the rapid benefits of the new treatment for this autoimmune skin disease, ixekizumab. Almost all of the study participants saw their symptoms improve, say researchers at the University of Manchester (UK) in the Lancet.
Ixekizumab is a monoclonal antibody. It neutralizes the inflammatory effect of the protein causing the disease, interleukin. In the trial, half of the participants took the drug once every two to three weeks. Two other groups received either a placebo or the standard treatment, etanercept.
After only four weeks of treatment, half of the patients taking ixekizumab experienced improvement in symptoms. At the end of the study (12 weeks), the plaques disappeared in 40% of cases. And 90% of the participants said their symptoms had improved.
For the lead author of the study, these results are encouraging – and not just for the physical well-being of people with psoriasis: “The visible effects of psoriasis can have a major and devastating impact on people’s confidence,” Chris recalls. Griffiths. We have not only observed an improvement in the physical aspect of the disease; people who took the new medicine also reported an improvement in their quality of life, as they felt more confident and had less itching. “
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