Novartis' Cosentyx Takes the Wind Out of Stelara's Sails in Psoriatic Arthritis Market

EXTON, Pa., May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent patient chart analysis of more than 1,000 PsA patients who were recently switched between biologic brands and/or Celgene's Otezla offers insight into the evolving market landscape in PsA.  200 US rheumatologists contributed to the study, providing PsA chart audits with clinical assessment, patient demographic details, along with the rationale behind switching and choice of the new brand.

In the 2017 edition of RealWorld Dynamix™, Cosentyx has proven to be a disruptor, particularly for Janssen's Stelara.  In the 2016 series, prior to the Cosentyx launch, Stelara was poised to capture the greatest share with each successive switch.  However, Cosentyx choked that momentum, holding Stelara  to a 9% share of all recent switches, exactly the same as the November 2015 wave.  Indeed, the rheumatologists specified that almost one-third of the patients switched to Cosentyx would have been placed on Stelara if the brand had not been available.  And there are clear battle lines – when asked which alternate MOA biologic they prefer in PsA, half choose Cosentyx and half choose Stelara. 

The question now is whether Cosentyx can continue this momentum once new IL-17's such as Lilly's Taltz receive marketing authorization.  More than one-third of rheumatologists claim to have clinical experience with Taltz in PsA (similar to Cosentyx pre-approval exposure) and a fair percentage of the audited patients are identified by their rheumatologist as Taltz candidates.  With the introduction of new IL-17's, watching the evolving dermatology referral patterns for PsA patients will be critical.  72% of the rheumatologists state that they wish dermatologists would refer PsA patients earlier than they typically do; furthermore, when patients currently treated with a biologic or Otezla are referred, the majority are switched by rheumatologists within three months.

Although Celgene recently reported a revenue miss in Q1 2017 for Otezla, the audit revealed a solid position for the brand.  While the switch-from rates did increase from the prior wave, Otezla also gained, particularly in the first-switch scenario where safety concerns associated with a biologic and patient preference for an oral agent drove the switch.   Should Pfizer's Xeljanz gain approval for PsA, Otezla will have a new battle to fight with regard to patient demand for an oral.  Indeed, rheumatologists indicated that 31% of the patients currently on Otezla would be considered candidates for Xeljanz if approved.

RealWorld Dynamix™ is an independent report derived from a robust patient audit focused on the switch patient segment.  Unlike claims data, the analysis includes physician assessment, rationale for treatment decisions and future intent related to biologic/Otezla selection.  In addition, key variables such as patient engagement level, the influence of the payer, socioeconomic and QOL metrics, co-morbidities, concomitant medications and test results are also included to provide a comprehensive analysis of the patient journey.  In total, the combined analysis includes over 1,000 patient records.  The full report will be available at the end of May.

Spherix Global Insights is a business intelligence and market research company, specializing in renal, autoimmune, neurologic and rare disease markets.  Our aim is to apply our commercial experience and unique relationships within core specialty markets to translate data into insight, enabling our clients to make smarter business decisions.

For more information contact:
Lynn Price, Immunology Franchise Head
Email: [email protected]
www.spherixglobalinsights.com

SOURCE Spherix Global Insights

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