Initial results of ixekizumab efficacy and safety in real‐world plaque psoriasis patients: a multicentre retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Ixekizumab (anti-IL17A) is effective as treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, but real-life data on effectiveness and safety are currently very limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ixekizumab in a cohort of real-life plaque psoriasis patients. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 100 patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis treated with ixekizumab at seven Spanish dermatological centres. RESULTS: According to the as observed analysis, the percentage of patients achieving a 75% and 90% of reduction from the baseline score of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was 87.5%-50.0% at week 12-16; 88.3%-58.4% at week 24 and 82.9%-58.5% at week 52, respectively. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) score of PASI at baseline was 12.9 ± 9.2, and it declined rapidly after ixekizumab administration to 1.9 ± 4.0 (P < 0.001) at week 12-16 and was maintained at 1.7 ± 4.1 and 1.8 ± 2.9 at week 24 and 52, respectively. Ixekizumab response was not affected by clinical variables like body mass index, disease duration or the presence of psoriatic arthritis. However, the bio-naive group showed significantly higher PASI 75 response rate at week 12-16 compared to patients previously exposed to biologic agents (P = 0.037). Twenty-six (26%) patients experienced adverse events (AEs) during the follow-up period, being most of them of mild-to-moderate intensity. The most common AE was local reaction at the site of injection (14/26; 53.8%). At the end of the observational period, 15 (15%) patients discontinued ixekizumab treatment due to limited clinical improvement (n = 11), adverse events (n = 3) or lost to follow-up (n = 1) within a mean ± SD time of 6.0 ± 3.9 months. CONCLUSION: The present study illustrates the initial experience with ixekizumab in real-world clinical practice confirming its usefulness and safety in the management of plaque psoriasis patients.