Stelara (Ustekinumab)
Stelara (also referred to by its generic name, Ustekinumab) is a biologic medication that is used to treat severe psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis.
How does Stelara work?
Stelara blocks the activity of interleukin 12 (IL-12) and interleukin 23 (IL-23), chemical ’messengers’ in the immune system that signal other cells to cause inflammation. In people with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, the immune system is overactive and creates too much inflammation, which leads to the development of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis symptoms. By blocking IL-12 and IL-23, Stelara aims to prevent some of that inflammation from occurring, leading to an improvement in psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis for some people who take it.
Who is Stelara for?
Stelara can be prescribed to treat severe plaque psoriasis in adults and children over the age of six. Usually it will only be offered to people who have not responded to, or cannot take non-biologic systemic treatments including ciclosporin, methotrexate or PUVA light therapy.
Stelara can also be prescribed to treat active and ‘progressive’ (worsening) psoriatic arthritis if other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs have not worked. This includes other ‘anti-TNF’ biologic treatments that are available for psoriatic arthritis. This means that if you have taken systemic treatments such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine or leflunomide, or biologic treatments such as Simponi (Golimumab), Adalimumab (Humira, Amgevita, Hulio, Hyrimoz, Idacio and Imraldi), Etanercept (Enbrel and Benepali) or Infliximab (Remicade, Flixabi, Remsima, Zessly and Inflectra) for your psoriatic arthritis without a good response, you could be offered Stelara.
How is Stelara used?
Individuals take Stelara at home by giving themselves an injection under the skin via a pre-filled ‘pen’ device. Most people will be trained by a nurse to give the injection to themselves. The first doses are taken four weeks apart, but after that Stelara is usually taken every 12 weeks. Stelara can be prescribed by itself or is sometimes used in combination with methotrexate.
People taking Stelara will have regular blood tests every three to six months- usually carried out by Dermatology Nurses, or by their own GP- to monitor for infections or other possible effects of the treatment. People taking Stelara should have an annual flu jab, but should check with a doctor or nurse before having any other vaccinations or taking other medication.
Who should not take Stelara?
What are the side effects of Stelara?
How long will Stelara take to work?
January 2020 (Review Date: November 2020)