Drug survival, effectiveness, and safety of brodalumab for moderate-to-severe psoriasis up to 3 years.

BACKGROUND: Brodalumab is a monoclonal antibody and IL-17 RA inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The present study aims to estimate the drug survival (DS), effectiveness, and safety of brodalumab over a period of 156 weeks. METHODS: The primary objectives were: (i) to determine the treatment response rate at Weeks 16, 28, 52, 78, 104, and 156 as defined by PASI100, PASI90, and an absolute PASI ≤ 3 and (ii) long-term DS. Secondary objectives included the evaluation of possible predictive factors associated with the achievement of response outcomes, and possible predictive factors associated with lower DS. RESULTS: The treatment response was rapid, with 80.3% of patients achieving PASI ≤ 3, 66% PASI90, and 54.3% the complete clearance of disease at Week 16. The response improved at Week 28, when a plateau was achieved with mild loss of response at later time points, in particular for PASI100 and PASI90 in 55.2 and 65.5% of patients, respectively, at Week 156. After 156 weeks of treatment, 66.22% of patients were still on therapy, and the previous use of IL-17 inhibitors appeared to be associated with an increased risk of treatment discontinuation (HR: 2.51, CI: 1.06-5.98, P = 0.037), and achievement of PASI ≤ 3 until Week 16 with less risk (HR: 0.27 CI: 0.14-0.51, P < 0.001). Bio-naïve status was favorably associated with treatment response, while high BMI negatively affected the achievement of outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the good effectiveness and favorable safety profile of brodalumab in a real-world setting for up to 3 years of treatment.

Clinical effectiveness of IL-17 and IL-23 inhibitors on difficult-to-treat psoriasis areas (scalp, genital, and palmoplantar sites): a retrospective, observational, single-center, real-life study.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis affecting the genital, palmoplantar, and scalp regions is recognized as difficult-to-treat, and data on the efficacy of biologics in these areas remains limited. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This single-center study evaluated the effectiveness of anti-IL-17 and anti-IL-23 agents on scalp, genital, and palmoplantar psoriasis. We retrospectively analyzed data from all patients with psoriasis being treated with IL inhibitors at our clinic. Effectiveness was evaluated at 16, 28, and 52 weeks, according to the achievement of relative and mean PSSI, PGA-G, and ppPASI. RESULTS: In all, 308 patients showed involvement of the scalp, 136 in the genital area, and 94 in the palmoplantar regions. On scalp psoriasis, anti-IL-17 agents demonstrated superiority in disease control compared to anti-IL-23 agents. PSSI100 at week 16 was reached by 59% of patients on an anti-IL17 vs 39.8% on an anti-IL-23 (p < 0.003). At genital sites, no significant differences between anti-IL-17 and anti-IL-23 agents were observed, and all classes achieved PGA-G 0/1. No significant differences between anti-IL-17 and anti-IL-23 agents were observed in palmoplantar areas. CONCLUSIONS: The present data support the utility of both anti-IL-17 and anti-IL-23 agents for the treatment of difficult-to-treat areas in patients with psoriasis. Anti-IL-17 agents achieved better control of scalp psoriasis.

Paradoxical psoriasiform reactions during treatment with adalimumab for hidradenitis suppurativa: Real-life experience and therapeutic response to other biological drugs.

Adalimumab is the only biological drug approved to date for the treatment of moderate and/or severe hidradenitis suppurativa. Adverse events reported during therapy include paradoxical psoriasiform reactions. No guidelines are currently available for the management of this clinical condition. The aim of this paper is to describe the incidence and clinical features of paradoxical psoriasiform eruptions occurring during treatment with adalimumab in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa and to report real-life experience in management and the possible role of other biologic agents for the treatment of both conditions.

Switching from adalimumab originator to biosimilars in hidradenitis suppurativa: What's beyond cost-effectiveness?

In the last years, adalimumab biosimilars have represented a commonly used alternative to the originator agent in the treatment of moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa. As of today, studies investigating the switch from adalimumab originator to biosimilar, following pharmacoeconomic policies, are lacking. Herein we present a real-life setting retrospective study aimed at assessing the safety and efficacy of this switch in 37 patients, evaluated for 12 months in terms of IHS4 (International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System) and HiSCR (Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical Response). Overall, no significant differences emerge between adalimumab originator and biosimilar in terms of clinical response following non-medical switch. High discontinuation rates (43.2%) raise questions on patients' compliance to the new drug regimen, as severe pain at the injection site represents a substantial cause of biosimilar discontinuation (i.e., 31.5% of the cases). In selected cases, rechallenge with adalimumab originator may represent a valid option, as 66.6% (n = 8) of the patients who switched back to the former agent have benefited in terms of tolerability and efficacy. Carefully integrating pharmacoeconomic policies with a thorough assessment regarding the benefit-risk ratio of a nonmedical switch from originator to biosimilars remains essential to provide each HS patient with the best therapeutic option.

Role of teledermatology in the management of dermatological diseases among marine workers: A cross-sectional study comparing general practitioners and dermatological diagnoses.

Background: Diagnosis and treatment of skin disease in sea workers is an unmet need. The purpose of this study is to highlight how remote management of dermatological conditions appears inadequate in this scenario. Objective: This study aimed to identify the best epidemiology for seafarers' diseases and analyze the adequacy of medical assistance in the diagnosis of dermatological maritime diseases. Material and methods: A total of 420 cases of requests for dermatological diseases received by the Telemedical Maritime Assistance Service of the International Medical Radio Center (C.I.R.M.). in a referral year were included in this cross-sectional study. All pictures of cutaneous lesions had been submitted to both C.I.R.M. doctors and an expert dermatologist who provided their diagnosis. Results: The most frequent diagnosis in both groups was infectious or inflammatory skin diseases. The main differences are represented by the amount of "unclassified dermatitis" or descriptive diagnosis, such as "cutaneous eruption" which were the most frequent diagnosis of C.I.R.M. doctors (p < 0.05 and p > 0.0001). In these cases, Cohen's K was <0.5 consistent with low concordance between dermatologic diagnosis and C.I.R.M. diagnosis. Conclusion and relevance: Our study emphasizes the magnitude of dermatological diseases in the maritime sector, although often underestimated, and highlights the difficulty in their diagnosis for doctors on call that need more training on specific dermatological issues.

Cutaneous Events Associated with Immunotherapy of Melanoma: A Review.

Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors significantly improves the outcome for stage III and IV melanoma. Cutaneous adverse events during treatment are often reported. We herein aim to review the principal pigmentation changes induced by immune check-point inhibitors: the appearance of vitiligo, the Sutton phenomenon, melanosis and hair and nail toxicities.