Sun Pharma launches drug to treat Plaque psoriasis in Canada

Homegrown pharma major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on Thursday said it has launched its medicine ILUMYA used in the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in Canada.

The company said ILUMYA (tildrakizumab injection) has already completed a five-year study based on a pooled analysis of two Phase 3 efficacy and safety extension trials in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

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The results showed that patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis maintained consistent, high levels of skin clearance and a durable safety profile through five years of continuous treatment.

"In Canada, some patients involved in the study have reported still having clear skin eight years later," Sun Pharma said in a regulatory filing.

Commenting on the development, Sun Pharma CEO North America Abhay Gandhi said,"This launch is an important milestone for Sun Pharma, as we expand our dermatology portfolio into Canada...With five years of effective treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, ILUMYA demonstrates our commitment to providing innovative medicines to support patient lifestyle and physician choice."

Plaque psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that appears on the skin as red, raised areas covered with flaky white scales that can crack and bleed. It affects approximately 8.5 lakh Canadians, the company said.

A key challenge is that many treatments stop working overtime and symptoms return. Durability of treatment in the long-term is an unmet need for many patients, it added.

Sun Pharma said the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), through the Common Drug Review, has "positively recommended to the provinces it deals with that the ILUMYA product be reimbursed for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, when prescribed by a dermatologist."