Abstract
Background. Rapid efficacy is an important item to psoriasis patients. Risankizumab, a humanised immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody that inhibits IL‐23, has demonstrated early and sustained efficacy in patients with moderated‐to‐severe psoriasis. Effectiveness data in real world, particularly regarding short‐term response, however, are scarce. Objective. To explore the short‐term effectiveness of risankizumab in patients with moderate‐severe psoriasis in normal clinical practice. Methods. This was an observational, retrospective, multicentre study carried out at thirteen hospitals in Valencia, Spain. It was conducted on a sample of adult outpatients over 18 years of age, diagnosed with moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis who received at least one subcutaneous injection of 150 mg of risankizumab. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was used to assess the short‐term (4 weeks) effectiveness of risankizumab. Results. One hundred and sixteen patients (63.8% men) with a mean age (standard deviation (SD)) of 50 (16) years were included in the study. 90.6% were overweight or obese, and 22.7% were biologic‐naïve. The mean (SD) PASI score decreased from 11.9 (7.2) at the baseline to 3.3 (2.7) at week 4, with a median (SD) PASI score reduction of 8.6 (2.3) (p < 0.05). The absolute PASI score of <2 was reached by 52.6% of patients. Overall, PASI scores of 75, 90, and 100 were achieved in 56%, 37.1%, and 25.9% of patients, respectively, at week 4. PASI 90 was achieved by a significantly higher proportion of naïve patients than biologic‐experience failure patients (59.3% vs. 30.3%; p = 0.01). Conclusion. This study, which reflects our initial risankizumab experience in a real‐life setting, seems to show quick effectiveness in psoriasis treatment after one single dose. This trial is registered with NCT04862286.