Psoriasis | Pharmacor | G7 | 2015
Last Updated 23 December 2015
The psoriasis market has become increasingly lucrative owing to the growing use of biologics. The dominance of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors is being challenged by the interleukin-12 and 23 (IL-12/23) inhibitor, ustekinumab (Janssen Biotech’s Stelara), and more recently, by the introduction of Novartis’s IL-17 inhibitor, secukinumab (Cosentyx), and Celgene’s oral phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor, apremilast (Otezla). Novel oral therapies are generating interest following the remarkable uptake of Otezla in the first year of its launch. Thus, opportunities exist for developing safer and more-efficacious treatments in different drug classes for psoriasis; however, emerging therapies will have to deal with growing cost constraints and an increasingly competitive market. Additionally, the landscape will change further once biosimilars of frequently prescribed TNF-alpha inhibitors for psoriasis arrive in the major markets.
