CLEARER SKIN Psoriasis once kept Elizabeth Menduke from feeling her best. But she has clearer skin after treatment with STELARA® for plaque psoriasis.
Pursuing Solutions in Immunology
Elizabeth Menduke, 47, lives outside Los Angeles, where she owns her own business. As a result of her psoriasis, she once had scaly red patches on more than 70 percent of her body. After treatment with STELARA® (ustekinumab) for plaque psoriasis, Elizabeth says, “I am so very excited to have clearer skin again. “
STELARA®, a treatment approved for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, is now available in more than 50 countries as a result of additional marketing approvals in 2010.
Another treatment, SIMPONI® (golimumab), approved in 2009 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, is now approved in approximately 40 countries. Two additional applications filed in 2010 seek to expand the U.S. label to include inhibition of the progression of structural damage in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
REMICADE® (infliximab), a treatment with 15 FDA approvals, also received additional marketing approvals in 2010, including several in Japan. In all, REMICADE® is available in 100 countries.
Such incremental growth with existing products is an important strategy for the Immunology Therapeutic Area, which also expanded research and development capabilities into new treatment areas. In June, Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. acquired RespiVert Ltd., a drug discovery company focused on developing inhaled small-molecule therapies for the treatment of pulmonary diseases.
Sue Dillon, Ph.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head, Immunology, explains that the acquisition strengthens capabilities to further build a pipeline of novel oral and biologic therapies.
“We’re focused on areas such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis and lupus, ” says Dillon, “where we can continue to make a difference in patients’ lives. ”