LONDON (Reuters) - Amgen Inc.'s psoriasis drug Enbrel appears to reduce depression and fatigue, as well as improving symptoms of the chronic skin disease, researchers said on Thursday.
Psoriasis is characterized by inflamed, red, raised areas of skin that develop silvery scales. The condition can have a major psychological impact on patients.
A 618-patient trial of Enbrel, known generically as etanercept, found that those given the drug for 12 weeks had a 50 percent improvement in a commonly used rating scale for depression and suffered significantly less fatigue compared to those on placebo.
The clinical trial also reaffirmed the ability of Enbrel to fight psoriasis, with nearly half of patients taking it achieving a 75 percent or greater improvement in their psoriasis, compared with only 5 percent on placebo.
The findings by Ranga Krishnan of Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina, and colleagues were published online by the Lancet medical journal in Britain.
Enbrel works to treat a range of autoimmune diseases by blocking an inflammation-causing protein called tumor necrosis factor. These diseases, which include psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, occur when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.
Rival drugs include Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s
Humira and Johnson & Johnson's Remicade.
The indictable medicines are expensive -- costing about 10,000 euros ($12,030) per patient a year in Europe -- but they are increasingly reimbursed through healthcare systems under strict conditions.
Enbrel was originally discovered by Immunex, now part of Amgen, and jointly developed with Wyeth, which markets the product outside North America.
