Informational only — Not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider.

Shasthya স্বাস্থ্য · Health, made simple
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Community data Updated 23 hours ago
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Indications

Psoriasis

Secukinumab is a human interleukin-17A antagonist. It is used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. It is also used in adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and in adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Secukinumab is a human monoclonal antibody that targets the IL-17A cytokine. It works by turning down inflammation in psoriasis, an autoimmune skin disease. Doctors haven't fully worked out how psoriasis develops, but they do know that a disturbance in the innate and adaptive immune responses plays a part in the long-lasting inflammation of the disease.

IL-17 is a family of six pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-17A to F) that have many different effects in the body. Their expression is found to be higher in psoriatic skin. These cytokines act on many types of cell and give protection against extracellular pathogens that cause fungal or bacterial infections. Many of the cells that defend the immune system make IL-17 cytokines, such as Th17, mast cells, neutrophils and dendritic cells, and all of these are implicated in promoting inflammation.

There is also evidence linking IL-17 to the development of several autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis and even atherosclerosis.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy: There isn't enough human data on secukinumab in pregnant women to tell whether it carries a risk of harmful effects on the baby's development. In an embryo-fetal development study, monkeys were given secukinumab under the skin during organogenesis at doses up to 30 times the maximum recommended human dose. No harmful developmental effects were seen in the infants born to these pregnant monkeys.

Lactation: Nobody knows whether secukinumab passes into human milk, or whether the body absorbs it after the baby swallows it. There are no data on how secukinumab affects a breastfed child or milk production. So the benefits of breastfeeding for the baby's development and health should be weighed against the mother's clinical need for secukinumab. Any possible harm to the breastfed child, either from secukinumab or from the mother's underlying condition, should be weighed too.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: For plaque psoriasis, the recommended dose of secukinumab is 300 mg by subcutaneous injection at Weeks 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, followed by 300 mg every 4 weeks. For some patients, a dose of 150 mg may be acceptable. In psoriatic arthritis, patients who also have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis should follow the dosage and administration for plaque psoriasis. Other psoriatic arthritis patients can be given secukinumab with or without a loading dosage. With a loading dosage, the dose is 150 mg at weeks 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 and every 4 weeks after that. Without a loading dosage, it is 150 mg every 4 weeks. If a patient continues to have active psoriatic arthritis, consider a dosage of 300 mg. In ankylosing spondylitis, the medicine is also given with or without a loading dosage. With a loading dosage, the dose is 150 mg at weeks 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 and every 4 weeks after that. Without a loading dosage, it is 150 mg every 4 weeks.