Ustekinumab, TNF Inhibitors Exhibit Similar Remission, Disease Activity Responses in PsA

摘要

Both ustekinumab and TNF inhibitors demonstrate significant improvement in psoriatic arthritis disease activity, with similar positive results in minimal and low disease activity and remission after 6 months, according to data. “The interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23/ IL-17 axes are implicated as significant pathways in disease pathogenesis,” Josef S. Smolen, MD, of the Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues wrote in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. “A number of [biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs)] directed against IL-12/IL-23, IL-17 or IL-23 are now available to treat PsA, alongside TNF inhibitors. “Treatment decisions are challenging in PsA, given the wide array of available drugs, and the scarcity of head-to-head trials of biologies,” they added. To assess the effectiveness of Stelara (ustekinumab, Janssen) compared with TNF inhibitors and analyze the predictors of low disease activity and remission in patients with PsA, Smolen and colleagues conducted the PsABio study. According to the researchers, PsABio is an international, prospective, observational, cohort study of adults with PsA at 92 sites across eight European countries. Participants received either ustekinumab or a TNF inhibitor as a first-, second- or third-line treatment and are followed biannually for up to 3 years. The first analysis was performed once all patients reached the 6-month milestone.