WEDNESDAY, Feb. 21, 2024 -- For patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, deucravacitinib maintains efficacy and demonstrates consistent safety through two years, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Mark Lebwohl, M.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues examined the safety and efficacy of deucravacitinib over two years. The POETYK long-term extension included adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who completed the phase 3 POETYK PSO-1 or PSO-2 trials and received deucravacitinib 6 mg once daily.

At data cutoff, 1,519 patients had received one or more doses of deucravacitinib; overall, 79.0 and 39.9 percent of patients had ≥52 and ≥104 weeks of total deucravacitinib exposure, respectively. The researchers found that per 100 person-years, the exposure adjusted incidence rates were similar at one and two years for adverse outcomes, including any adverse events (229.2 versus 154.4), serious adverse events (5.7 versus 6.1), discontinuations (4.4 versus 2.8), deaths (0.2 versus 0.4), and serious infections (1.7 versus 2.6). Over two years, there were no clinically meaningful changes from baseline or trends observed in hematologic, chemistry, or lipid parameters. In patients receiving continuous deucravacitinib treatment from baseline, clinical responses were maintained (≥75 percent reduction from baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, 72.4 and 79.7 percent at weeks 52 and 112, respectively; static Physician Global Assessment score of 0/1, 57.9 and 61.1 percent at weeks 52 and 112, respectively).

"These findings support deucravacitinib as a safe and efficacious durable, long-term treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Bristol Myers Squibb, which manufactures deucravacitinib and funded the study.