Brodalumab (Amgen) success in Psoriasis Phase II study

Amgen announces the results of a Phase II trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Brodalumab (formerly AMG 827) in 198 patients with moderate to severe plaque Psoriasis which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The 12-week, dose-ranging study achieved its primary endpoint with the mean percentage improvement in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score higher in all brodalumab groups compared to placebo (p<0.001). brodalumab is a human monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to and blocks signaling via the interleukin-17 (il-17) receptor, thereby stopping the binding of several il-17 family members associated with psoriasis. the majority of subjects treated with brodalumab 210 mg every other week achieved total clearance of their skin disease (pasi 100 of 62 percent). pasi score is a measure of psoriatic plaque redness, scaling and thickness and the extent of involvement in each region of the body. treatment efficacy is often measured by the reduction of pasi from baseline (i.e., a 75 percent reduction is known as pasi 75, a 90 percent reduction is known as pasi 90 and a pasi 100 is total clearance of skin disease).>