Ixekizumab Superior to Ustekinumab for Clearing Psoriasis Plaques

For patients with psoriasis, ixekizumab, an interleukin (IL)-17A antagonist, clears psoriatic plaques more effectively than ustekinumab, according to results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The study included participants with moderate to severe psoriasis. Participants were randomly assigned to ixekizumab (n=136) or ustekinumab (n=166), an IL-12/23 inhibitor, and were treated for 52 weeks. The researchers then assessed efficacy through improvements in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI; 90% improvement =PASI 90) and static physician global assessment (sPGA) responses of (0) or (0,1).

At week 52, 76.5% (n=104) of participants in the ixekizumab group achieved PASI 90 compared with 59.0% (n=98) in the ustekinumab group (P <.01). Additionally, 52.2% (n=72) of participants in the ixekizumab group achieved PASI 100, indicating completely clear skin, compared with 35.5% (n=59) in the ustekinumab group (P <.01).

After treatment, 52.9% (n=72) of participants in the ixekizumab group achieved sPGA (0) and 82.1% (n=110) achieved sPGA (0,1) compared with 36.1% (n=60) and 65.1% (n=108), respectively, in the ustekinumab group (P <.01).

Treatment-emergent adverse events, serious adverse events, and discontinuation rates did not differ between the treatment groups. However, injection site reactions did occur more frequently in the ixekizumab group (16.3%, n=22) compared with the ustekinumab group (1.2%, n=2) (P <.001).

“Ixekizumab provided high efficacy rates, regardless of disease severity at baseline, and improved quality of life through one year of treatment, compared to ustekinumab,” the researchers concluded.

Reference

Paul C, Griffiths CEM, van de Kerkhof PCM, et al. Ixekizumab provides superior efficacy compared to ustekinumab over 52-weeks of treatment: results from IXORA-S, a phase 3 study. [published online June 30, 2018]. J Am Acad Dermatol. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.06.039