ADVERTISEMENT
Risankizumab Vs Apremilast for the Treatment of Adult Patients with Moderate Plaque Psoriasis
According to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology, risankizumab demonstrated superior efficacy compared to apremilast in patients with moderate psoriasis.
Researchers aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of 2 treatments, risankizumab and apremilast, for adults with moderate plaque psoriasis who required systemic therapy. Additionally, they assessed the outcomes of switching to risankizumab for patients who did not achieve a 75% improvement in their Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score after 16 weeks of apremilast treatment.
This phase 4 study involved a 52-week duration and enrolled adults diagnosed with moderate chronic plaque psoriasis who were eligible for systemic therapy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either subcutaneous risankizumab or oral apremilast in a 2:1 ratio. At week 16, all apremilast-treated patients were re-randomized, with half continuing apremilast and the other half switching to risankizumab.
The co-primary outcomes at week 16 included the achievement of PASI 90 and a significant improvement in the Physician Global Assessment (sPGA) score. At week 52, the primary endpoint for patients who had not responded sufficiently to apremilast at week 16 was the achievement of PASI 90. The results demonstrated that risankizumab was significantly more effective than apremilast in achieving both PASI 90 and sPGA 0/1. In the group that switched to risankizumab after inadequate response to apremilast, a substantial majority achieved PASI 90, whereas very few did so with continued apremilast treatment.
“The safety profile of risankizumab was similar to prior studies, and no new safety signals were identified,” the authors concluded, “These results show that risankizumab treatment can significantly improve clinical outcomes in systemic-eligible patients with moderate psoriasis compared to apremilast.”
Read more on the study here.
Reference
Stein Gold LF, Bagel J, Tyring SK, et al. Comparison of risankizumab and apremilast for the treatment of adult patients with moderate plaque psoriasis eligible for systemic therapy: results from a randomised, open-label, assessor-blinded phase IV (IMMpulse) study. Br J Dermatol. Published online July 25, 2023. doi:10.1093/bjd/ljad252
© 2023 HMP Global. All Rights Reserved.
Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of The Dermatologist or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates.
