HORSHAM, Pa., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Centocor said Monday the Food and Drug Administration extended Remicade's indications to include psoriatic arthritis.
The approval, which is for inhibiting progression of structural damage and improving physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis, is based on data from the IMPACT and IMPACT 2 trials.
"The study findings supporting this approval show that treatment with (Remicade) can slow the progression in joint destruction often associated with this disease," Arthur Kavanaugh, professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego and lead study investigator, said in a statement issued by Centocor.
Psoriatic arthritis afflicts approximately one million people in the United States. Symptoms include joint inflammation and skin lesions.
The IMPACT 2 study showed that patients treated with Remicade had less structural damage at 24 weeks than placebo-treated patients. The Remicade group also was more than twice as likely to achieve a clinically meaningful improvement in physical function.
