A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Secukinumab in Adult Patients With Skin Types IV-VI With Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis

Exclusion Criteria

• •Form of diagnosed psoriasis other than chronic plaque psoriasis (i.e. guttate, erythrodermic, pustular) or drug-induced psoriasis
• •Subjects with lighter skin as defined by Fitzpatrick Skin Types I-III
• •Subjects of European ancestry or other white ethnic group
• •Previous exposure to secukinumab or other biologic agent targeting IL-17A or IL-17RA
• •Ongoing use of prohibited treatments or lack of adherence to specified washout periods:
• •* 6 months for biologic drugs directly targeting IL-12/23 or IL-23, alefacept, and efalizumab
• •* 12 weeks for biologic agents other than the above (i.e. adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab)
• •* 4 weeks for other systemic psoriasis treatments (i.e. methotrexate, systemic steroids, retinoids, apremilast), and photochemotherapy
• •* 2 weeks for phototherapy (UVA, UVB)
• •* 2 weeks for topical psoriasis therapies
• •Subjects unwilling to limit exposure to UV light
• •Use of other investigational drugs within 5 half-lives prior to randomization
• •Pregnant/nursing women or women of child-bearing potential unwilling to use appropriate method of contraception
• •Diagnosis of other ongoing skin disease or skin infection that may interfere with the treatment and/or examination of psoriasis lesions
• •Current significant medical problems or laboratory abnormalities that, in the opinion of the investigator, would put the patient at significant risk by participating in the study
• •Previous history of or current infection with hepatitis C, hepatitis B, or HIV
• •Active systemic infection during the 2 weeks prior to randomization
• •Evidence of tuberculosis infection (indeterminate or positive quantiferon gold) at screening. Subject may be enrolled if full tuberculosis workup has been completed in the 12 weeks preceding randomization and patient has been started on appropriate treatment at least 4 weeks prior to randomization
• •Malignancy with the past 5 years, with the exception of basal cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, Bowen's disease of the skin, carcinoma in situ of the cervix(removed) or non-invasive malignant color polyps (removed)
• •History of allergy to any component of the IP