Abbott pitches Humira for psoriasis

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Abbott Laboratories is trying to get its top-selling blockbuster drug approved for yet another use, which could lead to further sales.

Abbott (down $0.01 to $55.80, Charts) submitted its drug Humira, already approved to treat four diseases, to the Food and Drug Administration and European regulators as a treatment for the skin disease psoriasis.

Psoriasis causes red patches on the skin and affects 7.5 Americans, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation.

Humira, which totaled more than $2 billion in 2006, is an FDA-approved treatment for Crohn's disease, causing inflammation of the digestive tract; rheumatoid arthritis, causing inflammation of the joints; ankylosing spondylitis, causing inflammation of the joints between vertebrae; and psoriatic arthritis, or arthritis involving psoriasis.

Abbott, based in Abbott Park, Illinois, is the third-largest U.S. drugmaker behind Pfizer (down $0.15 to $25.26, Charts) and Johnson & Johnson (down $0.08 to $60.26, Charts).

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