Cosentyx: find out more about psoriasis injection

Inflammatory diseases, such as plaque psoriasis , psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis , can have a major impact on people’s lives. These conditions, although they do not always cause serious health risks, can have a high weight on self-esteem .

Therefore, treatments are important for the quality of life of patients. Among them is Cosentyx, a drug that has shown good results in controlling these diseases.

Contents

What is Cosentyx?

Cosentyx is a medicine that works by reducing the inflammatory process, applied injectable, used to treat plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. In general, its application is weekly, for 4 weeks, followed by monthly applications, called maintenance doses.

Because it is injectable and very specific, the medication starts to take effect quickly, taking a few weeks for the improvement of symptoms to be noticed.

The package comes with 1 or 2 application pens, each containing 150mg of the active substance in Cosentyx, which is Secuquinumab, concentrated in 1mL of solution for injection.

This substance, which is a monoclonal antibody (type of protein), acts on a molecule involved in inflammation and some other processes of the immune system. Thus, it inhibits symptoms and controls disease.

The drug was approved and made available in January 2015 in the USA, being approved in Brazil on December 23, 2015.

What is Cosentyx for?

Secuquinumab, which is the active substance in Cosentyx, is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to the IL-17A protein. This protein is directly related to psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. This is because the 3 diseases have an inflammatory order.

Plaque psoriasis

Cosentyx is indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, an inflammation that affects the skin. It is characterized by the formation of red plaques, with whitish or silvery and dry scales. In general, they itch and hurt, and may bleed in more severe cases.

In moderate or severe conditions, the drug can be used to reduce inflammation and secondary symptoms of the disease.

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of psoriasis that, in addition to the skin, also affects the joints. Thus, patients with the disease may manifest thick and reddish skin lesions, itching, pain and peeling, in addition to joint involvement, such as severe pain and movement difficulties.

The use of Cosentyx is indicated when other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have already been used and have had no effect. In addition, it can be prescribed alone or in combination with methotrexate.

Ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is a rheumatic disease that affects the joints of the spine and also other large joints. The condition causes severe pain, even when the person is at rest, which can trigger inflammation in the eyes, intestine and lead to heart problems.

Cosentyx becomes an option for patients who have not responded to initial treatments with other medications.

Is it an injection for psoriasis?

The substance Secuquinumab is one of what is known as an injection for psoriasis. In addition to it, there are also Guselcumab and Ixequizumab, which are also biological and injectable drugs.

Ixequizumab has an action similar to Secuquinumab, acting on interleukin 17, whereas Guselcumab acts on interleukin 23, another protein related to inflammation and other symptoms of psoriasis.

All of these injections have shown good effects, and the choice depends on individual analyzes of each condition.

How is the application?

The application of Cosentyx is subcutaneous and can also be done at home, by (the) patient (s), provided that the doctor orients properly and the person feels safe to do it.

If the application is made in clinics or health units, doctors or nurses will be responsible for handling and applying the entire medication.

If done at home, it is important that the person follows some steps for proper administration. In general, it is quite simple:

The application sites are the front of the thigh or the lower abdomen (keeping at least about 6cm away from the navel). The arm can be a place of application, but in this case it must be done by someone else, as soon as it is a place of difficult positioning.

It is necessary to rotate, that is, choose different places for each application. It is also necessary to avoid places with bruises, peeling or injuries.

First of all, the skin must be cleaned with cotton wool with alcohol.

The medicine comes in an injection pen, so it does not have a syringe or ampoule. Then, just remove the cap and rotate it in the direction indicated by the arrows. Once opened, the application should take place within 5 minutes and there is no possibility to store or replace the cap on the pen.

The position of the pen should be at a 90-degree angle (that is, standing), keeping it very straight. Just press the pen against the skin and the needle is inserted and the injection starts.

A first click will be heard and the green indicator will demonstrate the progress of the injection.

After the second click, keep an eye on the green indicator. When it stops moving, you can remove the needle.

Small amounts of blood can leak, but just wipe with a cotton swab. Like other injections or perforations, the site can become purple and tender.

Cosentyx is provided by sus?

Yes, as long as there is a dermatological medical indication, Cosentyx is provided by the Unified Health System, for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis.

In some cases, in order to obtain the medication, it is necessary to file a lawsuit, also presenting a judicial budget.

Consulta Remédios counts with a personalized service if it advises on the quotation of high cost medications. To receive your quote, just access the link and fill out the form!

Reactions: what are the adverse effects?

The application of Cosentyx can cause mild or moderate adverse effects, which are common and, in general, do not pose risks. Respiratory tract infections are quite common, causing a sore throat and stuffy nose.

Diarrhea , thrush, itchy rashes and a runny nose are also common adverse reactions. Less common are manifestations of oral candidiasis , changes in white blood cell rates, athlete’s foot and conjunctivitis .

In general, these conditions are not serious, however, if there is difficulty in breathing, swelling in the face, lips, tongue or throat or severe itching with skin rashes, you should immediately go to the hospital.

Get fat or lose weight?

The Cosentyx package insert does not indicate that the drug can cause changes in weight, whether it is gaining weight or losing weight.

However, each organism can react differently to the medication action, causing the person to gain or lose weight, especially if there are adverse effects, such as nausea. This is because, in these cases, there may be a change in diet.

Price and where to buy?

The Cosentyx can be found in pharmacies, requiring a prescription to purchase. In addition, the medication can be obtained by the Unified Health System, upon medical prescription.

The average price is from R $ 3,595, with 1 pen, or from R $ 6,998, with or 2 applicator pens, with 150mg each.

The dosage of 300mg costs, on average, from R $ 7,990.


Treatments for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis have evolved considerably. This guarantees a better quality of life and well-being for people living with some of these diseases.

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