The Food and Drug Administration on Friday expanded the approval for Johnson & Johnson's psoriasis drug Stelara.
Stelara is already approved to treat adults with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and moderate to severe Crohn's disease.
Now, the drug may also be used to treat patients age 12 and older with plaque psoriasis. About one-third of plaque psoriasis patients develop the disease before age 20.
"Psoriasis is a highly visible disease, and it is essential that these younger patients and their caregivers have options that can effectively reduce the difficult-to-conceal and often misunderstood plaques," said Michael Siegel, PhD, senior vice president of research and clinical affairs for the National Psoriasis Foundation.