December 11, 2018

Response to ixekizumab was not affected by clinical variables like body mass index, disease duration, or the presence of psoriatic arthritis.

Initial experience with ixekizumab in real-world clinical practice has confirmed the utility and safety of the humanized interleukin 17A antagonist for the management of plaque psoriasis. A retrospective, multicenter, observational study was conducted among adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who were consecutively treated with ixekizumab at 7 Spanish hospitals with psoriasis-specialized units. Results of the study were published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

The primary objective of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of ixekizumab in a cohort of real-life patients with plaque psoriasis. The secondary objective was to identify potential clinical variables that might interfere with the therapeutic effectiveness of this biologic agent. The analysis was conducted by retrospective chart review of data from 100 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Based on the results of the as-observed analysis, the proportions of patients who attained a 75% and a 90% reduction from baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75 and PASI 90) score was 87.5% to 50.0% at weeks 12 to 16; 88.3% to 58.4% at week 24; and 82.9% to 58.5% at week 52, respectively. The mean PASI score at baseline was 12.9 ± 9.2, which declined rapidly following the administration of ixekizumab to 1.9 ± 4.0 (P <.001), at weeks 12 to 16 and was maintained at 1.7 ± 4.1 and 1.8 ± 2.9 at week 24 and week 52, respectively.

Patient response to ixekizumab was not affected by clinical variables such as disease duration of plaque psoriasis, presence of psoriatic arthritis, body mass index, smoking status, or baseline PASI score. Patients in the biologic-naive group, however, demonstrated significantly higher PASI 75 scores at weeks 12 to 16 compared with those with prior exposure to biologic therapy (P =.037).

Overall, 26% of patients experienced adverse events during the follow-up, most of which were mild to moderate in intensity. The most frequently occurring adverse event (local reaction at the injection site) was reported in 53.8% (14 of 26) of participants.

The investigators concluded that the results of this study complement the efficacy and safety profiles outlined in randomized controlled trials of ixekizumab in patients with plaque psoriasis. The findings derived from the current study offer valuable information on treatment with this new anti-interleukin 17A biologic in daily clinical practice.

Disclosure: Multiple authors have declared affiliations with pharmaceutical companies.

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Reference

Deza G, Notario J, Lopez-Ferrer A, et al. Initial results of ixekizumab efficacy and safety in real-world plaque psoriasis patients: a multicenter retrospective study [published online October 14, 2018]. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. doi: 10.1111/jdv.15288