Remicade therapy shown to improve productivity in patients treated for chronic plaque psoriasis

Analysis from Pivotal Phase 3 Trial underscores impact of psoriasis on work and daily activities

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 2, 2007 -- Investigators reported today at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting that patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis receiving REMICADE® (infliximab) induction and maintenance therapy experienced significant improvements in productivity at week 10, which were sustained through week 50. After 10 weeks, patients receiving REMICADE 3 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg achieved significant improvements in work and daily activities (2.9 and 3.1, respectively, from baseline) compared to little to no improvement (a mean decrease of 0.1) among placebo-treated patients (P < 0.001), as measured by the Productivity Visual Analogue Scale. Psoriasis is an inflammatory disorder characterized by raised, inflamed, red lesions, or plaques, which can cause physical pain and emotional distress. It is estimated that as many as 7.5 million people in the U.S. have psoriasis, which can present in various forms and can range from mild to severe and disabling.

"These findings show a relationship between the significant improvements REMICADE-treated patients experienced in psoriasis and improvements in productivity," said Steven Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology, pathology and public health sciences, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University. "Such analyses offer further insight into the impact of this chronic inflammatory disease on patient productivity and the effect of intervening with an appropriate biologic treatment, like REMICADE. We look forward to further studies to identify the economic implications of such productivity analyses in a real-world setting."

In the Evaluation of Infliximab for Psoriasis in a [REMICADE] Efficacy and Safety Study (EXPRESS II), REMICADE-treated patients demonstrated a statistically significant productivity increase of 2.9 and 3.1 in the 3 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg groups, respectively, from baseline compared with a mean decrease of 0.1 with placebo as measured by the Productivity Visual Analogue Scale (P < 0.001). The Productivity Visual Analogue Scale is a 10-cm scale with a score of zero indicating very impaired productivity and a score of 10 indicating no impairment. Baseline productivity scores among the REMICADE 3 mg/kg, REMICADE 5 mg/kg and placebo groups were comparable at 5.7, 5.6 and 5.6, respectively, indicating impaired productivity.