Tremfya Data Show Greater Treatment Persistence for Patients With Plaque Psoriasis

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Initiation of guselkumab (Tremfya) from Janssen Pharmaceutical was associated with greater treatment persistence compared with ixekizumab or secukinumab in individuals who are bio-experienced and bio-naïve with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PsO), according to analyses of real-world data.

Additionally, in a post-hoc analysis of the phase 3 VOYAGE 2 (NCT02207244) clinical trial, guselkumab demonstrated durable clinical efficacy, itch relief, and quality-of-life improvements in individuals with scalp PsO.

“These persistency real-world results potentially indicate that [guselkumab] is associated with better long-term control of the symptoms associated with PsO compared with secukinumab and ixekizumab, irrespective of whether patients were bio-naïve or bio-experienced,” Steven Feldman, MD, PhD, dermatologist at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said in a statement

“Increasing our understanding of real-world data can improve clinical practice, leading to benefits for our patients,” he said. “These critical insights help us make better treatment decisions for, and with, our patients living with PsO.”

For the real-world data, investigators used the IBM Market Scan Research Databases from July 13, 2017, to May 1, 2021.

Investigators found that individuals in the guselkumab cohort showed 2.20 time and 2.28 longer persistence for those who were bio-naïve at 12 months and 18 months, respectively, compared with the secukinumab cohort at 1.84 times and 1.86 times longer time to persistence and the ixekizumab cohort, respectively.

In the analysis, there were 2202 individuals in the guselkumab cohort and 2772 individuals in the secukinumab cohorts. Additionally, there were 2241 individuals in the guselkumab cohort compared with 2007 in the ixekizumab cohort.

Additionally, the results showed that guselkumab was associated with greater persistence with 2.20 times and 2.04 times at 12 and 18 months, respectively, compared with secukinumab at 1.84 times and 1.86 times, respectively and ixekizumab among those who were bio-experienced.

“These new data underscore Janssen’s commitment to provide efficacious and long-lasting treatments for [individuals] living with PsO, which may also proactively contribute to their overall well-being,” Lloyd Miller, MD, PhD, vice president of Immunodermatology Disease Area Stronghold at Janssen Research & Development, LLC, said in the statement. “These results continue to show the important role [guselkumab] plays in the management of moderate to severe plaque PsO, including difficult-to-treat areas such as the scalp.”

In the post-hoc analysis of the phase 3 VOYAGE 2 clinical trial, comparing guselkumab with adalimubab and the placebo in individuals with moderate-to-severe plaque PsO, guselkumab demonstrated durable clinical efficacy changes in mean Psoriasis Symptoms and Signs Diary (PSSD) itch scores and quality-of-life improvements in individuals with scalp PsO.

Among those who responded to guselkumab, achieving at least a 90% improvement from the baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score and remaining on the treatment, the mean scalp-specific Investigator Global Assessment (ss-IGA) score rapidly improved from 2.9 at week 0 to 0.2 at week 24 and 0.3 at week 48.

Changes in mean Dermatology Life Quality Index and PSSD itch scores paralleled changes in mean ss-IGA scores.

Guselkumab is the only fully human selective interleukin-23 inhibitor therapy that is FDA-approved in the United States for this indication. The studies are among 14 abstracts being presented by Janssen at the 2023 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Reference

Tremfya (guselkumab) real-world data analyses show greater treatment persistence than IL-17s in both bio-naïve and bio-experienced patients living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. News release. Johnson & Johnson. March 17, 2023. Accessed March 20, 2023. https://www.jnj.com/tremfya-guselkumab-real-world-data-analyses-show-greater-treatment-persistence-than-il-17s-in-both-bio-naive-and-bio-experienced-patients-living-with-moderate-to-severe-plaque-psoriasis