Real-world single-centre experience of bimekizumab in patients with psoriasis: a 16-week retrospective observational...

Bimekizumab inhibits interleukin-17A and interleukin-17F. Clinical trials have shown its efficacy in moderate--to-severe plaque psoriasis; however, real-world effectiveness and safety data remain limited.

To evaluate the real-world effectiveness and safety of bimekizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis over 16 weeks in routine clinical practice.

We conducted a single-centre retrospective observational study involving adults diagnosed with moderate-to--severe plaque psoriasis who were administered bimekizumab (320 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks for 16 weeks). The primary outcomes assessed were ≥90% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 90) and complete clearance (PASI 100) at week 16. Secondary outcomes included ≥ 50% improvement in PASI, ≥75% improvement in PASI, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores and the incidence of adverse events.

In total, 86 patients were enrolled. Their mean (SD) age was 44.4 (12.3) years, 53% (n = 46) were women and 58% (n = 50) had prior biologic exposure. At week 16, 71% (n = 61) achieved PASI 90 and 66% (n = 57) achieved PASI 100. By week 4, 50% (n = 43) of the patients had achieved PASI 90. Patients who were biologic-naïve had higher PASI 90 rates than patients who were biologic-experienced (75% vs. 60%; P = 0.08). The complete clearance rates were 71%, 63% and 75% for scalp, nail and genital psoriasis, respectively. The mean (SD) DLQI decreased from 15.8 (6.2) at baseline to 3.2 (2.4) at week 16. Adverse events occurred in 33% of patients (n = 28), most commonly mild oral candidiasis (n = 15; 17%). No serious adverse events or treatment discontinuations were observed.

Bimekizumab demonstrated high efficacy in the real-world treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, with a rapid onset of action and improvement in difficult-to-treat areas. The safety profile was favourable.