In final guidance NICE recommends the UK use of Tremfya in plaque psoriasis.- Janssen.

The UK NICE has recommended the use of Tremfya (guselkumab), from Janssen, as a cost-effective treatment for plaque psoriasis for patients in the NHS. NICE published its Final Appraisal Determination supporting the funding of the therapy to treat moderate to severe forms of plaque psoriasis.

In the phase III trials VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2 guselkumab showed showed high rates of response: at 16 weeks, a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 90 (PASI 90) score was recorded in 73.3 percent (VOYAGE 1) and 70.0 percent (VOYAGE 2) of patients receiving Tremfya, compared with 49.7 percent and 46.8 percent in those given Humira respectively. Data also showed a vast majority of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis receiving guselkumab achieved at least a 90 percent improvement in PASI 90 at week 28, maintained a PASI 90 response with continuous treatment through week 72.

Comment: Tremfya is one of an international market of approved drugs for psoriasis which includes Cosentyx (secukinumab ) from Novartis, Taltz (ixekizumab) from Eli Lilly and Siliq ( brodalumab) from Valeant Pharma. However Tremfya offers a new alternative for patients: IL-23 works upstream in the inflammatory cascade compared to IL-17 or TNF, which the company believes could offer efficacy advantages.