Continuous Treatment With Abbott's HUMIRA(R) Achieves Superior Long-Term Efficacy for Psoriasis Patients Compared to Interrupting...( Additional Analysis Shows HUMIRA Ef...),Health

Additional Analysis Shows HUMIRA Effectively Treats Adult Patients with

Moderate to Severe Psoriasis Regardless of Age, Duration of Disease,

Diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis or Recent Systemic Therapy

PARIS, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- More psoriasis patients achieve efficacy when they receive continuous treatment with HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) compared to patients who interrupt their therapy, according to data presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Paris. The findings were from a sub-analysis of Abbott's pivotal, 52-week study, REVEAL (The Randomized Controlled EValuation of Adalimumab Every Other Week in Moderate to Severe Psoriasis Trial) and the period of open-label treatment that followed.

The sub-group analysis was designed to determine whether interrupting HUMIRA treatment would affect efficacy in psoriasis patients who had already achieved good response to HUMIRA. After 33 weeks, patients who had achieved adequate response to HUMIRA (as measured by PASI 75, or greater than 75 percent clearance) were randomized into two groups. One group continued to receive HUMIRA and the other was given placebo. Beginning at week 52, all patients received HUMIRA during the open-label extension period.

Patients who had maintained adequate response after HUMIRA was discontinued were more likely to achieve a PASI 75 response when they were restarted on treatment. Among those who discontinued and then re-started HUMIRA, 84 percent of the 161 patients who had maintained adequate response achieved PASI 75 after 24 weeks of re-treatment, compared to 55 percent of the 66 patients who had lost adequate response after stopping treatment. A loss of adequate response was defined as less than PASI 50 response relative to baseline and at least a 6-point increase in PASI score relative to week 33.

"The goal of treatment for dermatologists is to maintain disease remission, and these results ar
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