Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis: a phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Taiwanese and Korean patients (PEARL).

Abstract Background Ustekinumab has been evaluated in Caucasian patients with psoriasis, but no studies have been conducted in Asian patients. Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of ustekinumab in Taiwanese and Korean patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Methods In this 36-week, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 121 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were randomized (1:1) to receive subcutaneous injections of ustekinumab 45 mg at weeks 0, 4, 16 or placebo at weeks 0, 4 and ustekinumab 45 mg at weeks 12, 16. Efficacy endpoints at week 12 included the proportion of patients achieving at least 75% improvement from baseline in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75; primary endpoint), proportion of patients with Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) of cleared or minimal, and change from baseline in Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results At week 12, the proportion of patients achieving PASI 75 was 67.2% and 5.0% in the ustekinumab 45 mg and placebo groups, respectively ( p p p Conclusions Treatment with subcutaneous ustekinumab 45 mg offers a favorable benefit/risk profile for Taiwanese and Korean patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The efficacy and safety profile is consistent with the global phase III studies of ustekinumab in psoriasis.