FDA Approves J&J's Remicade to Treat Psoriatic Arthritis

The FDA has approved Centocor's Remicade (infliximab) as a treatment for active psoriatic arthritis, the ninth indication the agency has granted for the drug.

The FDA describes infliximab as a monoclonal antibody that works by blocking the overproduction of an immune system protein, an underlying cause of these inflammatory diseases.

First approved in 1998 as a treatment for Crohn's disease, Remicade is also indicated to treat rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Centocor is a unit of Johnson & Johnson.