Washington--The Food and Drug Administration has approved Humira, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), for additional use in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, which is associated with psoriasis.
Washington--The Food and Drug Administration has approved Humira, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), for additional use in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, which is associated with psoriasis.
Humira blocks a protein called tumor necrosis factor alpha, or TNF-alpha, which is released by the immune system and causes joint swelling and other damage.
The FDA based its approval of the new use of Humira on a clinical trial involving 313 psoriatic arthritis patients who did not respond after being treated with anti- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
The FDA also approved Humira for initial use in patients with moderate to severe (RA). Previously, it was approved for use only after other drug treatments failed.