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Ustekinumab has demonstrated superior efficacy to Enbrel in the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Investigators presented the data at the Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), in Paris, France.
In a phase III multicentre, randomised head-to-head study comparing the two products during the treatment for psoriasis, ustekinumab patients achieved significantly more skin clearance at the primary endpoint, compared to those who were treated with Enbrel.
With a novel mechanism of action, Ustekinumab – an investigational human monoclonal antibody – targets the cytokines interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, which are naturally occurring proteins that are important in the body’s regulation of immune responses and play a role in immune-mediated inflammatory disorders such as psoriasis.
During the trial, the primary endpoint was the percentage of participants achieving at least a 75% reduction in psoriasis at week 12. After two subcutaneous injections at weeks zero and four, 68% and 74% of patients receiving ustekinumab 45mg or ustekinumab 90mg, respectively, achieved a PASI 75 compared with 57% of patients receiving Enbrel 50mg subcutaneous injections twice weekly for twelve weeks.
Bruce Strober, from the department of Dermatology at New York School of Medicine said of the trial: “These findings reinforce the promise of ustekinumab as an infrequently administered and highly effective biologic therapy for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe psoriasis. Currently available biologic therapies have greatly improved the treatment of psoriasis, yet unmet needs in treatment remain for patients living with this chronic inflammatory disease.”
