Efficacy and Safety of Switching to Ixekizumab in Etanercept Non-Responders: A Subanalysis from Two Phase III Randomized Clinical Trials in Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis (UNCOVER-2 and -3)
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patients with psoriasis who have an inadequate response to one biologic may benefit from switching to a new biologic, such as ixekizumab, a high affinity monoclonal antibody that selectively targets interleukin (IL)-17A.
OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess the response to ixekizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who did not respond adequately to etanercept using a post-hoc analysis in two phase III studies.
METHODS: For the subanalyses in two phase III trials (UNCOVER-2 and -3), non-response was defined by either failure to have a static physician global assessment (sPGA) of 0/1 in UNCOVER-2 or failure to have at least 75% improvement in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI 75) in UNCOVER-3 at Week 12 of each study. Non-responders treated with twice-weekly etanercept 50 mg in the first 12 weeks received two injections of placebo at Week 12 (4-week wash-out period), followed by ixekizumab every 4 weeks (Q4W) for Weeks 16-60. Non-responders to placebo in the first 12 weeks were administered ixekizumab 160 mg at Week 12, followed by ixekizumab Q4W for Weeks 16-60.
RESULTS: After switching to ixekizumab Q4W, a substantial proportion of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis who did not respond to etanercept experienced rapid and durable improvement in all efficacy evaluations. Among sPGA 0/1 (UNCOVER-2) and PASI 75 (UNCOVER-3) non-responders to etanercept, 73.0% achieved sPGA 0/1 and 78.2% achieved PASI 75, respectively, after 12 weeks of…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
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