March 2025

Guselkumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in paediatric patients: results of the phase III randomised placebo-controlled PROTOSTAR study

Br J Dermatol 2025;192:618–628 doi: 10.1093/bjd/ljae502

Prajapati et al. conducted the PROTOSTAR trial to assess guselkumab in paediatric patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Guselkumab significantly improved skin clearance versus placebo at Wk16, with high response rates sustained through Wk52 and a favourable safety profile.

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Treatment of psoriasis with different classes of biologics reduces the likelihood of peripheral and axial psoriatic arthritis development

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2025;64:1131–1137. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keae257

Floris et al. conducted a monocentric cohort study to assess the impact of biologic treatment on the development of PsA in patients with PsO. Treatment with biologics significantly reduced the likelihood of PsA development, with lower prevalence observed across different biologic classes and patterns of joint involvement.

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Burden and determinants of multi-b/tsDMARD failure in psoriatic arthritis

Arthritis Research & Therapy 2025;27:46 doi: 10.1186/s13075-025-03518-7

Haberman et al. analysed prescribing patterns and characteristics of PsA patients with
multi-b/tsDMARD failure, defined as requiring ≥4 b/tsDMARDs. Among 960 patients at the NYU Psoriatic Arthritis Centre, 17% met this criterion. These patients were more likely to be female, obese, and have higher rates of axial involvement and depression. They also exhibited greater disease activity, suggesting that both inflammatory and non-inflammatory factors contribute to multiple treatment failures.

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Upadacitinib in active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis: 2-year data from the phase 3 SELECT-AXIS 2 study

Arthritis Res Ther. 2025;27:23. doi: 10.1186/s13075-024-03441-3

Van den Bosch et al. reported that upadacitinib 15 mg once daily led to sustained improvement in nr-axSpA over two years, including disease activity, pain, and quality of life. The study reports that 57.1% achieved ASAS40 response at week 104, with no new safety signals identified.

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Understanding Cardiovascular Events with JAK Inhibitors: Tofacitinib Reduces Synovial and Vascular Inflammation but not the Prothrombotic Effects of Inflammatory Cytokines on Endothelium

ACR Open Rheumatol. 2025 Jan;7(1):e11790 doi: 10.1002/acr2.11790.

Zavoriti and Miossec explored the impact of tofacitinib on inflammation and coagulation in RA. Tofacitinib reduced synovial and vascular inflammation by inhibiting IFNɣ, IL-17A, and IL-6 production but failed to prevent the prothrombotic effects of inflammatory cytokines on endothelial cells. These findings suggest that while tofacitinib reduces inflammation, it does not mitigate associated thrombotic risk.

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Effective second‑line b/tsDMARDs for patients with rheumatoid arthritis unresponsive to first‑line b/tsDMARDs from the FIRST registry

Rheumatol Ther 2025. Epub ahead of print doi: 10.1007/s40744-025-00747-9

Kanda et al. investigated the efficacy of second-line b/tsDMARDs in RA patients unresponsive to first-line b/tsDMARDs. Using data from the FIRST registry, the study assessed 687 patients with RA treated with TNFis, IL-6 receptor inhibitors, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 immunoglobulin, or JAKis. After propensity score-based adjustment, JAKi showed the highest persistence rate, greatest improvement in CDAI, and highest remission rates at 24 weeks. Among JAKi, UPA was most effective in achieving remission, with a safety profile comparable to other b/tsDMARDs.

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Effectiveness of JAK Inhibitors Compared with Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs on Pain Reduction in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from a Nationwide Swedish Cohort Study

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025;77:253–262 doi: 10.1002/art.43014.

Eberhard et al. investigated the effectiveness of JAKi versus bDMARDs on pain reduction in RA patients, using Swedish national register data. JAKi treatment resulted in a significantly greater reduction in pain at three months compared with TNFis, with a higher proportion achieving low pain at 12 months, particularly in those previously treated with multiple bDMARDs.

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February 2025

A randomised phase 3b study evaluating the safety and efficacy of risankizumab in adult patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis with non-pustular palmoplantar involvement

J Am Acad Dermatol 2024;91:1150–7 doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2024.07.1521

Lebwohl et al. investigated the efficacy and safety of risankizumab compared with placebo for treating palmoplantar psoriasis. At Wk16, significantly more patients receiving risankizumab achieved palmoplantar Investigator’s Global Assessment (ppIGA) 0/1 and PPASI75. The results were sustained through Wk52 with no new safety signals.

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Safety and efficacy of deucravacitinib in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis for up to 3 years: An open-label extension of randomized clinical trials

JAMA Dermatology 2025;161:56–66 doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.4688

Armstrong et al. evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of deucravacitinib in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis over a three-year period. The study found that exposure-adjusted incidence rates of AEs remained stable or declined over time, with no new safety signals emerging. Clinical response rates, including PASI75/90, were maintained, supporting the drug’s long-term efficacy.

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Tamuzimod in patients with moderately-to-severely active ulcerative colitis: a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 induction trial

Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2025;10:210–221. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(24)00386-8.

Sands et al. evaluated tamuzimod, a selective sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 modulator, in patients with moderately-to-severely active UC. At Week 13, clinical remission (defined as an MMS stool frequency subscore of ≤1, rectal bleeding subscore of 0, and endoscopic subscore ≤1, excluding friability) was achieved by 28% and 24% of patients receiving tamuzimod 60 mg and 30 mg, respectively, compared with 11% in the placebo group. The treatment was well tolerated; most AEs were mild or moderate.

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