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Abbott's Humira okayed in Europe to treat psoriasis

Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:46pm EST

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NEW YORK, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) said on Thursday that European regulators had approved use of its blockbuster Humira arthritis drug as a treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition.

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Abbott said more than three-fourths of patients taking the injectable drug in one clinical trial achieved clearance of 75 percent or more of the inflamed red skin lesions that are symptoms of psoriasis.

U.S. regulators are also considering whether to approve use of Humira for psoriasis, a condition in which an overactive immune system attacks healthy tissue.

Humira is already approved in Europe and the United States to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, a potentially dangerous inflammatory bowel ailment. (Reporting by Ransdell Pierson)

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