The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Eli Lilly and Company’s Taltz (ixekizumab) to treat adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Taltz's active ingredient is an antibody (ixekizumab) that binds to a protein (interleukin (IL)-17A) that causes inflammation. By binding to the protein, ixekizumab is able to inhibit the inflammatory response that plays a role in the development of plaque psoriasis.

Taltz is administered as an injection. It is intended for patients who are candidates for systemic therapy (treatment using substances that travel through the bloodstream, after being taken by mouth or injected), phototherapy (ultraviolet light treatment) or a combination of both.

Taltz will be available in the US beginning in the second quarter of 2016.

Source: US Food and Drug Administration and Eli Lilly and Company