Etanercept use for psoriasis in Taiwan: a case series study

Predictors of time to relapse following ustekinumab withdrawal in patients with psoriasis who had responded to therapy: An 8-year multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Data on predictors and time to relapse in patients with psoriasis who discontinue therapy in a real-world setting are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate predictors of relapse after withdrawal of ustekinumab in patients with psoriasis.

METHOD

This study screened 500 patients with psoriasis who received ustekinumab (669 treatment episodes) between 2011 and 2018. Overall, 202 patients (accounting for 304 treatment episodes) who had responded to therapy and were withdrawn from ustekinumab treatment were included.

RESULTS

The cumulative probabilities of being relapse-free at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months after withdrawal from ustekinumab treatment were 49.3%, 12.6%, 5.3%, 4.7%, and 1.6%, respectively. Multivariate regression analyses with a generalized estimating equation showed that after adjustments, biologic-naive status, maximum improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index during ustekinumab treatment, time to achieve a 50% improvement in baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score after initiation of ustekinumab, family history of psoriasis, chronic kidney disease, and immunosuppressant use while not taking ustekinumab were significant predictors of time to relapse following discontinuation of ustekinumab.

LIMITATION

Nonrandomized allocation of duration of treatment and follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Given the high rates of relapse, withdrawal of ustekinumab from patients with well-controlled psoriasis cannot be recommended.

Effectiveness and safety of secukinumab for psoriasis in real-world practice: analysis of subgroups stratified by prior biologic failure or reimbursement

Background:

Little is known about the treatment outcomes of secukinumab in clinical practice, which differ from those in clinical trials. The effectiveness of biologics may differ in psoriasis patients with previous biologics exposure. The objective of this study was to investigate the real-world effectiveness and safety of secukinumab therapy and analyze subgroups stratified by reimbursement or prior biologic failure.

Methods:

This retrospective multicenter study collected data from a cohort of 118 consecutive patients who received secukinumab treatment between December 2015 and March 2018. Effectiveness was evaluated by degree of improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores. Adverse events and reasons for discontinuation were also recorded.

Results:

The mean PASI improvement rate at weeks 4, 12, 24, and 36 was 63.5%, 77.7%, 78.7%, and 76.0%, respectively. Compared with reimbursed patients, nonreimbursed patients had a significantly lower baseline PASI and a shorter mean disease duration of psoriasis; they were more frequently biologic-naïve, had used less prior traditional antipsoriatic drugs and were more likely to be treated with secukinumab 150 mg. The effectiveness of secukinumab in nonreimbursed patients was superior despite higher discontinuation rates. Compared with patients without prior biologic failure, patients with prior biologic failure had a significantly lower mean PASI improvement at weeks 12, 24, 36, and 48. The decline in response rates to secukinumab tended to be more pronounced for patients who failed ustekinumab than tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors. Moreover, the number of prior biologic failures was associated with a decreased response rate and increased likelihood of secondary loss of effectiveness of secukinumab therapy.

Conclusion:

In a real-life clinical setting, the characteristics of nonreimbursed patients receiving secukinumab treatment differed from those of reimbursed patients. The PASI improvement for secukinumab was substantial but lower than that in clinical trials. The number and classes of prior biologic failures impact the treatment response to secukinumab.

Safety and efficacy of etanercept monotherapy for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: A prospective 12-week follow-up study

Etanercept has been shown to be effective for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Since most clinical trials examined etanercept in combination with other drugs, the efficacy and safety of etanercept monotherapy for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis have not been well established. This prospective study enrolled 61 Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis to explore the efficacy and safety of etanercept monotherapy. These patients were treated with etanercept at a subcutaneous dose of 25 mg, twice a week, for 12 weeks. All the 61 patients completed the treatment and showed significant improvement in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores. At 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment, the response rates (PASI75) were 0%, 21.31%, and 40.98%, respectively. It was concluded that etanercept monotherapy is efficacious and safe for patients with moderate- to-severe plaque psoriasis.