WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9, 2023  -- For patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, risankizumab is well tolerated and has high rates of efficacy through almost five years of therapy, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Kim A. Papp, M.D., Ph.D., from the Alliance Clinical Research and Probity Medical Research in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues examined the long-term safety and efficacy of risankizumab in patients with psoriasis in a phase 3, open-label extension study following multiple phase 2/3 base studies. The safety and efficacy of continuous risankizumab 150 mg every 12 weeks was examined in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Safety was assessed through 304 weeks in this interim analysis.

Overall, 706 of the 897 patients randomly assigned to risankizumab in the base studies were still ongoing at data cutoff. The researchers found low rates of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), TEAEs leading to discontinuation, and TEAEs of safety interest. Overall, 85.1/52.3 percent of patients achieved ≥90 percent/100 percent improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index; 85.8 percent achieved a static Physician's Global Assessment of clear/almost clear; and 76.4 percent achieved a Dermatology Life Quality Index of no effect on the patient's life at 256 weeks.

"These comprehensive results demonstrate a consistent long-term safety profile and high and durable clinical response with continuous risankizumab treatment for up to five years," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie, which manufactures risankizumab and funded the study.