What is Secukinumab?
Secukinumab (brand name: Cosentyx®) is a medicine used to treat adults with psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory disease of the joints that is often accompanied by psoriasis. Secukinumab is also used to treat adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis that is chronic (lasts for a long time).
Secukinumab may also be used to treat adults with axial spondyloarthritis, an inflammatory disease which primarily affects the spine, causing inflammation and pain in the spinal joints.
Secukinumab is a monoclonal antibody which is a protein that recognises and binds to an inflammatory protein called Interleukin 17A (IL-17A). In patients with psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis, the body's immune system produces an increased amount of IL-17A which causes the symptoms such as swollen and painful joints.Secukinumab blocks the action of IL-17A in the body, reducing the inflammation and other symptoms caused by the increased amount of IL-17A.