Netakimab in the therapy of psoriatic onychodystrophy

Abstract

Psoriatic onychodystrophy affects up to 50% of patients with psoriasis and up to 80% of patients with psoriatic arthritis, with an estimated lifetime risk of nail plate changes in this patient population of up to 90%. Nail psoriasis is characterised by a variety of morphological changes resulting from the inflammation in the nail matrix or nail bed, leading to functional impairment and negative impact on patient’s quality of life. Psoriatic onychodystrophy is a distinct therapeutic problem, as its localization is torpid to the current treatment. The limited penetration of topical agents through the nail plate together with the poor adherence to treatment make them typically ineffective. Systemic therapy is often regarded by dermatologists as inappropriate for patients with limited cutaneous lesions. Many systemic drugs, especially biologics, are effective in treating nail psoriasis, but with delayed and less pronounced effects compared to the improvement of skin manifestations. Efficacy for nail changes should be evaluated after 3–6 months of therapy. Recent studies demonstrate that the best effect is achieved after 1 year of treatment. This article presents the main clinical features of psoriatic onychodystrophy and provides information about the interleukin 17A (IL-17A) inhibitor drug netakimab as a promising therapeutic agent for patients with nail psoriasis. It also describes our own clinical experience of using netakimab in the therapy of patients with psoriasis coupled with onychodystrophy. Our experience of using netakimab in two cases of resistant psoriasis accompanied by nail lesions demonstrates its high efficacy in treatment of patients with both plaque psoriasis and psoriasis with “difficult”, hard-to-treat locations, such as nail plate lesions.