MILAN – , according to data presented at the World Congress of Dermatology.
After 12 weeks of ixekizumab administration, nearly half of patients who received ixekizumab in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial achieved a Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score of 0 or 1, compared with fewer than 5% of those receiving placebo. At the end of one year, 46.7% of the original ixekizumab group and 50.8% of those who transitioned to ixekizumab from placebo via an open-label extension arm achieved a DLQI of 0 or 1. A DLQI score of 0 or 1 on a 30-point scale indicated that psoriasis had no effect on health-related quality of life.
Among patients with plaque psoriasis, genital involvement is common – present in over 60% at some point during the disease course, Lyn Guenther, MD, of Guenther Dermatology Research Centre, London, Ont., and her colleagues wrote in the poster accompanying the presentation. Sexual health and overall quality of life can be negatively affected by genital psoriasis, they added.
In the study, adult patients were included if they had chronic plaque psoriasis present in genital and nongenital areas. For overall psoriasis and genital involvement, the Static Physician’s Global Assessment (sPGA) was 3 or greater, and total body surface area involvement was at least 1%. Also, patients had to have failed or been intolerant to at least one topical therapy for genital psoriasis.
Patients were excluded if they had genital pustules or vesicles, significant uncontrolled medical or psychiatric comorbidities, recent infection, or prior interleukin-17 antagonist treatment.
In all, patients received ixekizumab 160 mg (75 patients) or placebo (74) subcutaneously every 2 weeks during the initial 12-week study period. For the open-label extension arm, 74 patients in the active arm and 65 patients in the placebo arm went on to receive 80 mg of ixekizumab every 4 weeks, with a step-up option to every other week dosing depending on clinical response.
Patients were given the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) at baseline and at week 12 and week 52; investigators recorded the mean change for baseline for both the physical and mental component.
Participants also completed the DLQI, which was administered nine times over the 52-week study period.
From baseline, SF-36 scores climbed in both the physical and mental domains for those on ixekizumab, wrote Dr. Guenther and her coinvestigators, with “improvements in all SF-36 domains” for those on ixekizumab at 12 weeks, which continued through week 52. For patients who transitioned to ixekizumab from placebo, “improvements in all SF-36 domains were achieved at week 52,” they wrote.
The mean change from baseline on the SF-36 for the ixekizumab population was 3.5 on the physical domain and 4.8 on the mental component. For the placebo-ixekizumab group, scores improved by a mean 4.5 on the physical domain and 4.9 on the mental domain. Those who stayed on ixekizumab saw some decline in SF-36 scores, with a physical component improvement of 2.5 and mental component improvement of 3.6 at 52 weeks.
Ixekizumab (Taltz), a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-17A, is approved for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and active psoriatic arthritis..
“Ixekizumab provided clinically meaningful and persistent improvements in HRQoL in patients with moderate to severe genital psoriasis,” wrote Dr. Guenther and her colleagues.
Dr. Guenther and two coauthors reported receiving remuneration from several pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, which funded the study. Four coauthors are employees and shareholders of Eli Lilly.