Before the First Dose: A Practical Approach to Safety Assessment

A lab panel can establish a baseline, but it cannot replace a good patient history. Kyle Machynia, PA-C, walks through the questions he asks before initiating bimekizumab, from recurrent infections and TB exposure to GI and liver disease, mood history, and vaccination status. Drawing on his own approach, he considers the details that can be missed in a busy clinic and how to distinguish a reason to delay treatment from one that calls for further investigation, consultation, or a more deliberate discussion of risk.