Patients blighted by a distressing skin condition that causes agonising abscesses and severe scarring have been thrown a lifeline, thanks to a drug that's just been made available on the NHS.
Secukinumab jab shows a 50 per cent reduction in symptoms of severe acnePatients blighted by a distressing skin condition that causes agonising abscesses and severe scarring have been thrown a lifeline, thanks to a drug that’s just been made available on the NHS.
Sold under the name Consentyx, the drug is taken weekly for the first month, and then every four weeks. It is only the second drug capable of tackling HS. The first, adalimumab, was approved in 2016. It is hoped secukinumab will spare many HS sufferers from requiring surgery – which is often the only option once it progresses.
‘HS can have a very big impact on the lives of patients,’ says Dr John Ingram, consultant dermatologist at Cardiff UniversityAdvertisement For reasons that are also unknown, more women than men are affected, and there is no cure. ‘The pain is often severe and patients may have to deal constantly with open wounds, which require daily dressings and can stain their clothes.‘There was no licensed treatment for this condition until recently and, for many patients, the current drug is not effective enough or became less effective over time.
Existing treatment options include antibiotics, antiseptic washes and retinoids – Vitamin A-based medicines also prescribed by specialists for patients with severe acne. If infections progress, surgery to help drain abscesses and tracts, remove build-up of scar tissue and steroid injections to reduce inflammation may be needed.
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