Indianapolis, Indiana-headquartered Eli Lilly launched Copellor (Ixekizumab) in India to treat adults that have moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.
The drug will also be available for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriasis is a chronic auto-immune disorder of the skin in which prolonged inflammation leads to dry, thick, raised, red patches on the skin that cause great discomfort to the patient because they are accompanied by incessant itching.
Psoriasis can also lead to a painful condition of the joints known as ‘psoriatic arthritis.’ Research shows that in psoriasis, inflammation is present throughout the body and this increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, kidney diseases, and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Copellor is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody, designed to specifically target IL-17A, a protein that plays a role in triggering and maintaining inflammation in psoriasis, the pharma major stated.
Vineet Gupta, managing director, Eli Lilly India said, “Global studies show that the impact psoriasis has on a patient’s quality of life is comparable to that of ‘serious’ diseases such as cancer and heart failure.
