The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced the submission of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the FDA seeking expanded approval of STELARA® (ustekinumab) to treat pediatric patients ages 5 years and older with juvenile psoriatic arthritis (jPsA).
The filing is supported by extrapolation of data from nine studies across both adult trials in active PsA and adult and pediatric studies in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, totaling 3,997 patients evaluated across these closely associated diseases. Data extrapolation is the process of estimating response, trends or effects based on previous observations from patients with closely related conditions. With the limited availability of pediatric patients for clinical trial inclusion, researchers can extrapolate data from trials with adults to determine the potential efficacy and tolerability of a treatment for a pediatric population. A decision from the U.S. FDA is anticipated in late 2022.
"As children and their families manage the debilitating symptoms of juvenile psoriatic arthritis, it is critical that their physicians have a breadth of treatment options to consider," said Alyssa Johnsen, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, Rheumatology Disease Area Leader, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. "With this latest submission, we're excited to work with the U.S. FDA to evaluate this potential therapeutic option that could help meet the needs of children living with psoriatic arthritis."
STELARA is the first and only biologic targeting both cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23, both of which play an important role in inflammation associated with immune-mediated diseases like PsA. Since receiving approval in September 2009 for the treatment of adults living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, STELARA has received approval for four additional indications: children (ages 6 and older) with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, adults with active PsA, adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.
Juvenile arthritis occurs in an estimated 20 to 45 children per 100,000 children in the U.S., with approximately 5 percent of those children having jPsA.1 jPsA is characterized by both joint inflammation and psoriatic skin lesions that resemble adult PsA.2 PsA can be a challenging disease to treat especially in younger populations, reinforcing the need for additional treatment options.
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