Following discontinuation of secukinumab 150mg or 300mg, a proportion of patients sustained low PASI with clear or almost clear skin despite being drug free for up to 2 years. Patients with a shorter disease duration were less likely to relapse, further supporting the hypothesis that earlier intervention with secukinumab may result in long-term control of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Adami et al. conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the GC sparing effects of JAKi versus bDMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis patients. They found that JAKi therapy was associated with a significant reduction in GC dose compared with bDMARDs. This suggests that JAKi could be more effective in reducing long-term GC exposure in RA patients.

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Mease et al. assessed the comparative effectiveness of bimekizumab and risankizumab in patients with PsA over 52 weeks using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC). The study included patients who were biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD) naïve or had a prior inadequate response or intolerance to tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).

July 2024

McInnes et al. reported that bimekizumab demonstrated sustained efficacy and safety over 52 weeks in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), regardless of concomitant methotrexate (MTX) use. Both bimekizumab groups (with and without MTX) showed similar improvements in achieving ACR50 and PASI100 responses.

Fleischmann et al. evaluated the long-term efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis patients with inadequate response or intolerance to bDMARDs over five years. The study demonstrated that upadacitinib 15 mg and 30 mg were effective in maintaining disease control, with >75% of patients achieving CDAI LDA by week 260. The safety profile remained consistent with no new issues identified.

Filgotinib (FIL) 200mg was associated with numerical reductions in the number of draining perianal fistulas based on combined clinical and MRI findings compared with placebo. Reinisch et al. reported a numerically higher proportion of patients achieving the primary endpoint of a combined fistula response and/or remission at Week 24 with FIL 200mg compared with placebo.

In a large pool of Phase 2b/3 trial data, the incidence rate of uveitis with bimekizumab over 2034.4 patient years (PYs) remained low at 1.2/100 PYs, suggesting bimekizumab may be an appropriate treatment option for patients with axSpA and uveitis. Compared with placebo, bimekizumab had a lower incidence rate of uveitis in patients with and without a history of uveitis.

Vedolizumab, Adalimumab, and Methotrexate Combination Therapy in Crohn's Disease (EXPLORER)

Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2024;22:1487–96 doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.09.010

This Phase 4, prospective, open-label study provides additional support for the utility of vedolizumab, adalimumab, and methotrexate combination therapy in biologic-naïve patients with newly diagnosed, moderate to high-risk Crohn's disease. Investigators examined the efficacy of this triple therapy for achieving endoscopic and clinical remission at Week 26.

Tofacitinib in acute severe ulcerative colitis (TACOS): A randomized controlled trial

Journal Reference: Am J Gastroenterol 2024;119:1365–72 doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002635

A combination of tofacitinib and corticosteroids improved treatment responsiveness and decreased the need for rescue therapy in patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC). Singh et al. investigated whether addition of tofacitinib to corticosteroids was superior to corticosteroids alone in patients hospitalised with ASUC.

June 2024

This study by Karakas, et al. found that obesity did not affect secukinumab treatment response and drug retention in ankylosing spondylitis patients.