Arthritis drug also treats psoriasis

CHICAGO, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Chicago's Abbott Laboratories said trials show its arthritis medicine Humira is more effective in treating psoriasis than the standard treatment.

Abbott officials said they expect to file for regulatory approval early next year to market Humira in the United States and Europe as a treatment for psoriasis, commonly characterized by dry, scaly skin, the Chicago Sun-Times said Friday. More than 125 million people are affected by psoriasis.

The drug is approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, as well as an inflammatory spinal disease, the Sun-Times said.

The study of 271 patients found that nearly 80 percent of patients treated with Humira experienced a 75-percent reduction of psoriasis after about four months of treatment, the newspaper said. This compared to a 35.5-percent reduction for patients treated with methotrexate, the standard psoriasis treatment, the Sun-Times said.

If approved, Humira would compete with Amgen Inc.'s Enbrel and Johnson & Johnson's Remicade in psoriasis treatment, the newspaper said.