The Abbott Laboratories drug Humira (adalimumab) has been given expanded
approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to slow structural joint
damage in people with psoriatic arthritis. The condition affects people who have
skin psoriasis.
Humira was initially
approved for overall treatment of psoriatic arthritis in October 2005. It’s also
been sanctioned to treat moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, and an
inflammatory disease of the spine called ankylosing
spondylitis.
Psoriatic arthritis
combines symptoms of arthritis — including joint pain and inflammation — with
those of psoriasis, including painful red lesions on the skin. Clinical testing
on 313 people who hadn’t responded to NSAID therapy found that people given
Humira had significantly less joint damage than study participants who took a
non-medicinal placebo, Abbott said in a statement.
People who took Humira also demonstrated increased ability to perform
daily functions such as getting dressed, walking, and climbing stairs, the
company said.
