OK sought to use drug for psoriasis

Abbott Laboratories has applied to the Food and Drug Administration and European regulators to get its anti-inflammatory drug Humira, which is manufactured in Worcester, approved to treat psoriasis.

Specifically, the Illinois company wants Humira approved for moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis, caused by the immune system's mistakenly attacking the body, causing scaly, red lesions that may crack and bleed. About 125 million people suffer from psoriasis worldwide.

Clinical trial data showed that Humira significantly cleared up affected areas and and cut the severity of psoriasis, compared with placebo and methotrexate, a standard treatment.

It's the company's attempt at a fifth use for the drug.

In February, the company gained FDA approval to sell Humira for Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. The drug is also approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory disease of the spine.

Abbott booked more than $2 billion in Humira sales in 2006, with US sales accounting for $1.18 billion.
(AP)