Abbott today reported strong results in Phase Two testing for its experimental biologic currently known as ABT-874. The treatment, an antibody that targets interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, had a powerful effect in clearing psoriasis symptoms:
At 12 weeks, nine out of 10 patients with moderate to severe psoriasis achieved 75 percent improvement in psoriasis signs and symptoms in four of the five dosing groups receiving ABT-874, versus 3 percent of patients receiving placebo. Also, more than half of patients achieved 90 percent improvement, in the same four of five ABT-874 dosing groups, versus 0 percent of those receiving placebo.
These results are extremely rare for a psoriasis treatment, and bring to mind another anti-IL-12/IL-23 experimental treatment, Centocor’s CNTO 1275, which recently posted similarly blockbuster results in clinical trials. CNTO 1275 appears to be further along in clinical testing, and thus should reach the FDA first. Let’s hope these novel treatments prove safe and hit the market soon. The more options we have available, the better off we will be.
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