HQ Team
July 3, 2025: Novartis AG’s end-stage trial of a drug to treat the inflammation of arteries, which affects people aged over 50 years, has failed to meet its primary goal of being symptom-free after a year of therapy.
Secukinumab, branded as Cosentyx, did not “demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in sustained remission at week 52 compared to placebo,” according to a company statement.
When the results are not statistically significant, it could likely have happened by chance rather than because of the treatment being tested.
In other words, the difference between the medicine, like Cosentyx, and the placebo wasn’t strong enough to confidently say the medicine truly caused the improvement.
Giant cell arteritis
The disease, called giant cell arteritis, is the most common form of systemic vasculitis and has the potential to cause irreversible vision loss and life-threatening aortic aneurysms.
It is considered a medical emergency requiring prompt recognition and treatment. Beyond its physical complications, the disease significantly impairs quality of life, contributing to fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and reduced independence.
The end-stage trials did not replicate the positive outcomes observed in the mid-trial, and “we remain committed to continuing to drive scientific progress and deepening the understanding of immune-mediated diseases,” said Shreeram Aradhye, M.D., President, Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis.
In the study, patients took Cosentyx along with steroids that were gradually reduced over 26 weeks. This was compared to another group that took a dummy treatment with steroids reduced more slowly over 52 weeks. The goal was to see if Cosentyx helped patients stay free of symptoms for a full year.
IL-17A protein
Though the trial, conducted across 27 countries, failed to meet its main goal, Cosentyx was found to be as safe as expected, consistent with what is already known from its use in other diseases over the past 10 years, according to the statement.
Cosentyx works by targeting a specific protein in the body called interleukin-17A (IL-17A), which plays a key role in causing inflammation.
In certain diseases like psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions, the immune system produces too much IL-17A, leading to swelling, redness, pain, and tissue damage.
Cosentyx is a type of medication called a monoclonal antibody—a protein designed to specifically bind to IL-17A. By attaching to IL-17A, Cosentyx blocks it from working and prevents it from causing inflammation.
This helps reduce symptoms like skin plaques, joint pain, and swelling by calming down the overactive immune response.
