Results confirm what we’ve seen in practice
SEATTLE – The availability of biologics for treating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis has exploded in recent years, with 11 biologics now approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Targets include four separate mechanisms: inhibition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL) 23, IL-12/23, and IL-17. The surfeit of treatment options can be a little overwhelming.
Dr. April Armstrong
“It can be confusing. We have a lot of choices, but the good news is that most of our choices are excellent, and they treat both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. That’s very important because, when we think of our psoriasis patients, we need to think not only about their skin but also their joint involvement. Assessment of psoriatic arthritis will drive some of our therapeutic [decisions],” April Armstrong, MD, professor of dermatology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.
In April, the American Academy of Dermatology came to the rescue with comprehensive guidelines. Aside from general advice, the guidelines “provide tips for monitoring as well as dose escalation, which will be very helpful in daily practice,” Dr. Armstrong said in an interview.
The best studied of the biologics with respect to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are the IL-17 inhibitors and TNF inhibitors, she said. While TNF inhibitors have traditionally been the treatment of choice for both conditions, “I think these days, people realize that IL-17 inhibitors can be just as good.”
A head-to-head study of the IL-17 inhibitor ixekizumab and the TNF inhibitor adalimumab, presented at the EULAR Congress, looked at a combined outcome of skin and joints and found ixekizumab to be superior, though the study design’s inclusion of a skin outcome may have favored ixekizumab (Ann Rheum Dis. 2019 Jun. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-eular.8709).
A few other head-to-head studies have been performed, but properly ranking all 11 biologics would require dozens of clinical trials. At the American Academy of Dermatology meeting last March, Dr. Armstrong presented the results of a network meta-analysis of anti-TNF agents, anti-interleukin agents, anti–phosphodiesterase 4 agents, and fumaric acid esters (J Am Acad Dermatol. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.06.488). That study, funded by AbbVie, compared the individual agents to a collective placebo group and concluded that anti-interleukin agents generate the highest level of PASI 90/100 response rate. Risankizumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab, and guselkumab, all IL inhibitors, achieved the best marks over the primary response period.
The AAD guidelines include recommendations for tests to be done upon initiation of a biologic, including a tuberculosis test, complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, and tests for hepatitis B and C. TB testing should be performed annually during treatment.
The guidelines also include recommendations for dose escalation, which can provide leverage for getting coverage approved. “One can use those guidelines to show payers how dose escalation can be done, so that [physicians] can potentially get more access to medications for their patients,” Dr. Armstrong said at the meeting jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education.
The guideline also ranks the existing evidence supporting individual biologics for the treatment of psoriasis subtypes. For example, for the treatment of moderate to severe scalp psoriasis, etanercept and guselkumab have consistent and good-quality patient-oriented evidence supporting them; infliximab, adalimumab, secukinumab, and ixekizumab are recommended based on inconsistent or limited quality patient-oriented evidence; and ustekinumab is supported only by consensus opinion, case studies, or disease-oriented evidence. The guidelines provide similar categorization of biologics for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque type palmoplantar psoriasis, moderate to severe psoriasis affecting the nails, adults with pustular or erythrodermic psoriasis, and adults with psoriatic arthritis.
Dr. Armstrong is a research investigator and/or advisor to AbbVie, Janssen, Lily, LEO Pharma, Novartis, UCB, Ortho Dermatologics, Dermera, Regeneron, BMS, Dermavant, and KHK. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by the same parent company.