Phase 3 results show risankizumab outperforms secukinumab

Risankizumab (SKYRIZI, AbbVie), outperformed secukinumab (Cosentyx, Novartis) in a head-to-head phase 3 study comparing the two treatments in adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, according to data released by the company Jan. 14.

Patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis were randomized to receive treatment with either two 75 mg subcutaneous injections of risankizumab at baseline, 4 weeks and then every 12 weeks, or two 150 mg subcutaneous injections of secukinumab at baseline, weekly through week 4, and then every four weeks.

The treatment met both primary endpoints, defined as non-inferiority at week 16 and superiority at week 52. At week 16, 74% of patients treated with risankizumab achieved 90% improvement from baseline in the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI 90) compared with 66% of patients treated with secukinumab. At week 52, 87% of patients treated with risankizumab had achieved PASI 90 compared with 57% of patients treated with secukinumab (p<0.001).

"In this study, SKYRIZI showed superior efficacy compared to Cosentyx in helping patients achieve and maintain high levels of skin clearance at week 52," says Michael Severino, M.D., vice chairman and president of AbbVie, in a company press release.

Risankizumab also demonstrated superiority in secondary endpoints, including PASI 100, and PASI 75, as well as a static Physician Global Assessment score of clear or almost clear (sPGA 0/1) at week 52 (p<0.001), according to the press release.

Adverse events occurred in 13% of patients treated with risankizumab and were comparable between both treatments with the most common being nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, arthralgia and diarrhea, the press release states.

The rate of serious adverse events was slightly higher among patients treated with risankzumab (5.5%) compared with secukinumab (3.7%). However, rates of discontinuation of the study drug were higher among patients treated with secukinumab (4.9% vs. 1.2%).

READ MORE: Leg psoriasis improves with topical lotion