What has NICE said?

Secukinumab (Cosentyx) is recommended as a possible treatment for people with plaque psoriasis if:

• standard assessments show that their psoriasis is severe and is affecting their quality of life, and
• their psoriasis has not improved with conventional systemic treatments and phototherapy, or they have had side effects with these treatments in the past or there is a reason why they cannot have them.

Systemic treatments work throughout the whole body.

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.

Why has NICE said this?

NICE looks at how well treatments work in relation to how much they cost compared with other treatments available on the NHS.

Secukinumab was recommended because it works better than some treatments, and works about the same and costs the same as other treatments available on the NHS.

The condition and the treatment

Plaque psoriasis is a skin condition in which a person has raised red patches of skin covered with silvery scales. When the psoriasis is severe, the patches can cover most of the body, and can be itchy, sore, burning and painful.

Secukinumab (Cosentyx) interferes with substances in the body called interleukins that are involved in the development of psoriasis.

NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) may be a good place to find out more.

Sources of advice and support

• Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance, 0192 367 2837, papaa.org
• Psoriasis Association, 0845 676 0076 / 0160 425 1620, psoriasis-association.org.uk

NICE is not responsible for the quality or accuracy of any information or advice provided by these organisations.

ISBN: 978-1-4731-1335-0