NICE recommends Abbot’s psoriasis drug

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended adalimumab as a treatment option for adults with plaque psoriasis for whom anti-tumour necrosis factor treatment is being considered and when the following criteria are both met: The disease is severe as defined by a total Psoriasis Area Severity Index of 10 or more and a Dermatology Life Quality Index of more than 10, and when the psoriasis has not responded to standard systemic therapies including ciclosporin, methotrexate and PUVA (psoralen and long-wave ultraviolet radiation); or the person is intolerant of, or has a contraindication to, these treatments.

Gladys Edwards, CEO of the Psoriasis Association, said: “This is a positive addition to the treatment options available for those people with the most severe forms of psoriasis.”