Once-a-month jab can ease agony of debilitating acne after trials showed a 50 per cent reduction in symptoms

Patients affected by a distressing skin condition that causes agonizing abscesses and severe scarring have been given a lifeline thanks to a drug that has just become available on the NHS.

The vaccine, secukinumab, was given the green light after trials showed at least a 50 per cent reduction in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) symptoms after four months.

People struggling with this condition, also known as acne previa, have historically “lost faith in medicine” due to a lack of treatment options, says a spokesperson for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). ).

Sold under the name Consentyx, the medication is taken weekly for the first month and then every four weeks. It is only the second drug capable of combating HS. The first, adalimumab, was approved in 2016. Secukinumab is expected to prevent many HS patients from needing surgery, which is often the only option once it progresses.

The condition is thought to affect one in 100 people and symptoms can range from mild to severe. The exact cause is unknown, but HS tends to appear near hair follicles where sweat glands are present, most commonly around the groin, buttocks, breasts, and armpits.

“HS can have a huge impact on patients’ lives,” says Dr John Ingram, consultant dermatologist at Cardiff University.

For reasons that are also unknown, more women than men are affected and there is no cure.

HS is hereditary, is not infectious, and is not the result of poor hygiene. It causes a mix of boil-like lumps, blackheads, cysts and infected channels in the skin known as sinus tracts that can break out onto the surface and ooze fluid. Lumps may also appear on the back of the neck, waist, and inner thighs.

“HS can have a huge impact on patients’ lives,” says Dr John Ingram, consultant dermatologist at Cardiff University.

‘The pain is often intense and patients may have to constantly deal with open wounds, which require daily dressings and can stain their clothing.

‘The development of skin scars can limit movement and has a major impact on quality of life.

‘Until recently there was no approved treatment for this condition and, for many patients, the current drug is not effective enough or has become less effective over time.

‘It is incredibly welcome news that we now have a second option for our patients. Studies show that secukinumab is effective in reducing the number of inflamed abscesses patients experience, significantly reducing the amount of pain.

According to the drug study authors, more than two-thirds of HS patients already have moderate to severe disease when they are first diagnosed.

Existing treatment options include antibiotics, antiseptic washes and retinoids – vitamin A-based medications that specialists also prescribe for patients with severe acne. If infections progress, surgery may be needed to help drain abscesses and tracts, remove scar tissue buildup, and steroid injections to reduce inflammation.

If adalimumab, an injectable medicine that reduces levels of an inflammatory protein called tumor necrosis factor in the body, has no effect or stops working, NICE will now recommend that secukinumab be offered. The drug targets immune system proteins, called interleukin 17A and interleukin 17F, which are known to drive the inflammatory process.

Secukinumab and similar vaccines have been shown to be remarkably effective in treating psoriasis with skin problems and types of inflammatory arthritis.

One patient waiting to receive the vaccine is Angela Holland, 43, from Sunderland.

The municipal worker has lived with HS since she was ten years old, but it was not until she was 21 that she was finally diagnosed with the disease.

“I was very embarrassed to tell anyone what was happening,” she says. ‘She had abscesses on her arms, breasts and groin. “It was very painful and meant I often missed school to hide the sores.”

Since her diagnosis two decades ago, Angela has tried numerous treatments and a variety of antibiotics, but none have been effective, including adalimumab. She now hopes that secukinumab will be effective against her crippling disease.

“My whole life has been limited by HS,” he says. “I’m desperate to find a new drug that will make a difference.”