The 2023 EULAR recommendations provided an updated consensus on the pharmacological management of PsA with a new overarching principle and recommendation for 2023. Recent MOA safety data emphasised the importance of patient-specific benefit-risk profiling in JAKi therapy, and extra-musculoskeletal (MSK) manifestations related to PsA should be considered during drug selection.

Unadjusted time to all-cause discontinuation was significantly longer with baricitinib treatment versus TNFi (estimated median prescription survival time of 704 days versus 448 days; log-rank P<0.01). This difference increased when only comparing differences for b/tsDMARD-naïve patients treated with baricitinib versus tofacitinib.

Fleischmann, et al. found that patients who switched from adalimumab to upadacitinib and vice versa following lack of improvement showed improvements in disease activity measures and functional outcomes through 228 weeks.

Risk of venous thromboembolism with tofacitinib versus tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in cardiovascular risk-enriched rheumatoid arthritis patients

Arthritis Rheumatol 2024 doi: 10.1002/art.42846 Epub ahead of print https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38481002/

This post hoc analysis of ORAL Surveillance showed that incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) events was higher in patients with RA treated with tofacitinib (10>5mg BID) versus TNFi. Across treatments, VTE risk factors (age, BMI, and VTE history) were aligned with previous studies in the general RA population.

Phase 3 trials of ixekizumab in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis

N Engl J Med 2016;375:345–56. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1512711

Gordon, et al. pool the results of UNCOVER-1, UNCOVER-2, and UNCOVER-3 to show that ixekizumab increases the proportion of patients achieving an sPGA score of 0/1 or PASI 75 versus placebo. Adverse events related to ixekizumab treatment included neutropenia, candidal infections, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque PsO with either CZP 400 mg or 200 mg Q2W was associated with significant, clinically meaningful improvements in efficacy and quality of life that were maintained over time compared with placebo. Safety findings were in line with those expected of the therapy.

In this phase 3 study, both 200mg and 400mg certolizumab pegol doses improved psoriasis symptoms at Week 12 measured via PASI 75. Improvement was maintained, after rerandomisation, through Week 48, with a safety profile consistent with its drug class. This Phase 3 CIMPACT trial by Lebwohl et al., assessed the safety and efficacy of certolizumab pegol for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis.

Patients treated with guselkumab showed an improved and sustained clinical response compared to both adalimumab and placebo, without compromising safety profile. The Phase 3 VOYAGE 2 trial by Reich et al focused on treatment interruption and withdrawal, as well as treatment switching from adalimumab to guselkumab.

Phase 3 studies comparing brodalumab with ustekinumab in psoriasis

N Engl J Med 2015;373:1318–28. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1503824

Brodalumab treatment resulted in a rapid reduction in the signs and symptoms of PsO. The median time to a PASI 75 response with 210 mg of brodalumab Q2W was 4 weeks, approximately twice as fast as the median time to a response with ustekinumab.

Guselkumab demonstrated superiority to adalimumab and placebo in treating PsO in this Phase 3 study. Improvements in IGA and PASI scores were observed as early as Week 16 and were maintained up to Week 48. Incidence of adverse events was similar across both treatment groups.