TOPLINE:

Bimekizumab produced better relief from plaque psoriasis symptoms and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores than secukinumab in a phase 3b study.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a phase 3b multicenter randomized clinical trial with 743 patients randomly assigned to receive either bimekizumab or secukinumab for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
• A 48-week double-blinded period was followed by a 96-week open-label extension with patient-reported outcomes (PROs).
• One group received bimekizumab 320 mg every 4 weeks to week 16, then every 4 or 8 weeks to year 1; the other group received secukinumab 300 mg every 4 weeks to year 1, then switched to bimekizumab.
• The researchers assessed PROs using the Psoriasis Symptoms and Impacts Measure for itching, skin pain, and scaling and concurrent achievement of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and DLQI scores.

TAKEAWAY:

• At week 4, more patients on bimekizumab had no itching (34.0% vs 25.1%; nominal P = .005), no skin pain (74.5% vs 60.0%; nominal P < .001), and no scaling (46.1% vs 21.6%; nominal P < .001).
• At 1 year, more patients on bimekizumab had no itching (60.9% vs 48.1%; nominal P < .001), no skin pain (78.6% vs 70.8%; nominal P = .01), and no scaling (70.5% vs 49.7%; nominal P < .001).
• Concurrent achievement of PASI 0 and DLQI 0/1 was greater with bimekizumab vs secukinumab at week 4 (11.5% vs 4.6%; nominal P < .001) and at 1 year (61.7% vs 42.7%; nominal P < .001).
• At year 1, switching from secukinumab to bimekizumab produced better responses that continued through year 3 and were similar to continuous bimekizumab treatment (62.2% and 63.8%, respectively).

IN PRACTICE:

“Many patients treated with bimekizumab had concurrent improvements in clinical outcomes and PROs, both of which are important for informing treatment decisions, suggesting that bimekizumab’s high clinical efficacy translates into benefits to patient-perceived symptoms and health-related quality of life,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Matthias Augustin, MD, PhD, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, and was published online on February 18 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

The eligibility criteria could limit the generalizability of findings to some real-world patients with comorbidities. Additionally, potential bias may have been introduced through the open-label extension phase and its lack of treatment blinding to patients and physicians. Switching patients from secukinumab to bimekizumab may not reflect clinical settings because these patients were not switching due to treatment failure as they would in clinical practice.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by UCB. Augustin reported receiving grants and personal fees from AbbVie, Almirall, Amgen, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Centocor, Eli Lilly and Company, Galderma, Hexal, Incyte, Janssen, Klinge Pharma, LEO Pharma, medac, MSD, Mylan, Novartis, Pfizer, Sandoz, Sun Pharma, Takeda, UCB, and Viatris. Several authors also reported receiving grants, advisory fees, and personal fees from many companies, including UCB; one author declared being an employee and shareholder of UCB. Additional disclosures are noted in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.