FDA approves Valeant's drug to treat plaque psoriasis

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc's Siliq to treat adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that occurs more commonly in patients with a family history of the disease, and most often begins in people between the ages of 15 and 35. Plaque psoriasis, in which patients develop thick, red skin with flaky, silver-white scales, is the most common form of the disease. (http://bit.ly/2l9Da9c) The approval for Siliq injection includes a labeling with boxed warning to mitigate the risk of suicide. Patients treated with Siliq during clinical trials had shown suicidal behavior, the FDA noted. (Reporting by Akankshita Mukhopadhyay in Bengaluru)