What has NICE said?
Secukinumab (Cosentyx) is recommended as a possible treatment for people with plaque psoriasis if:
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standard assessments show that their psoriasis is severe and is affecting their quality of life, and
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their psoriasis has not improved with other treatments including ciclosporin, methotrexate and PUVA (psoralen and long-wave ultraviolet radiation), or they have had side effects with these treatments in the past or there is a reason why they cannot have them.
Treatment with secukinumab should be stopped after 12 weeks if the psoriasis does not improve enough according to standard measures.
What does this mean for me?
If you have plaque psoriasis and your doctor thinks that secukinumab is the right treatment, you should be able to have the treatment on the NHS. Secukinumab should be available on the NHS within 3 months of the guidance being issued.
If you are not eligible for treatment as described above, you should be able to continue taking secukinumab until you and your doctor decide it is the right time to stop.