New Trial Results Indicate Successful Long-Term Biologic Treatment for PsA

Secukinumab, an interleukin-17A inhibitor, shows sustained and consistent efficacy and safety for treating psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the long term, according to new study results.

FUTURE 2 is a phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at 76 centers in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States. To conduct the FUTURE 2 study, the researchers randomly assigned 397 patients aged 18 years or older who had active PsA to receive secukinumab 300 mg, 150 mg, or 75 mg, or placebo weekly from baseline and then every 4 weeks from week 4.

If participants continued to show signs of active disease, the researchers escalated secukinumab doses from 150 mg to 300 mg and from 75 mg to 150 mg or 300 mg starting at week 128. The researchers also assessed key efficacy endpoints, including American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) responses, at week 260 (5 years) for secukinumab 300 mg and 150 mg.

Overall, 248 (62%) participants completed 5 years of treatment, and 127 (52%) of 242 patients required dose escalation during the study. The amount of ACR and PASI nonresponders had decreased and responders had increased from 24 to 32 weeks and from 48 to 84 weeks after dose escalation.

“Secukinumab 300 mg and 150 mg provided sustained improvement in the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, with consistent safety over 5 years,” the researchers concluded. “This study supports the clinical benefit and safety of long-term treatment with secukinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis.”

—Rebecca Mashaw

Reference:

McInnes IB, Mease PJ, Kivitz AJ, et al. Long-term efficacy and safety of secukinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis: 5-year (end-of-study) results from the phase 3 FUTURE 2 study. Lancet Rheumatol. 2020;2(4):E227-E235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913(20)30036-9