Jeff Stark, MD, vice president and head of medical immunology, UCB, shares phase 3 study results of bimekizumab-bkzx given for up to 48 weeks in patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).
This content was produced independently by The American Journal of Managed Care® and is not endorsed by the American Academy of Dermatology.
Acute pain is a significant factor for patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) that can be reduced by treating the inflammation associated with this disease, says Jeff Stark, MD, vice president, head of medical immunology, UCB.
Transcript
What specific improvements in skin pain were observed in patients with hidradenitis suppurative (HS) treated with bimuzkizumab-bkzx compared with placebo?
We're very excited about the skin pain results that we're presenting here for bimekizumab at the AAD meeting [American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting 2024]. Bimekizumab, as you may know or your listeners may know, is a novel molecule that targets 2 different components of the IL [interleukin]-17 pathway, both IL-17A and IL-17F, both of which we know are potent drivers of inflammation in inflammatory skin diseases like Hidradenitis suppurativa.
We've previously presented our pain results in HS, but are now looking at longer-term data, specifically from week 16 onto week 48. We saw rapid reductions in pain previously in that week 16 segment of the data, which was the placebo-controlled data. Now we're looking at more long-term open label extension data and are very pleased to see that we are observing continued improvements in pain that follow on to that rapid reduction over 16 weeks. Those patients who continue to bimekizumab or who switch to bimekizumab from placebo at week 16 continue to experience longer-term reductions in pain as well.
The reason I think this is exciting is really 2 reasons. One is that these are longer-term data that helps us to know what to expect as patients are treated with bimekizumab over longer periods of time. Also, because pain is among the most prominent symptoms that patients with HS experience, and so, to be able to speak to their experience with the disease and demonstrate effectiveness of a therapy to reduce that prominent symptom for them is particularly exciting as well.
STEER Data Open Door to SMA Gene Therapy for Wider Age Range of Children
March 19th 2025Delivery of onasemnogene abeparvovec into the intrathecal space was safe and effective for children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) aged 2 to 17 years, who had previously been shut out of receiving gene therapy.
Read More
Navigating Sport-Related Neurospine Injuries, Surgery, and Managed Care
February 25th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Arthur L. Jenkins III, MD, FACS, CEO of Jenkins NeuroSpine, to explore the intersection of advanced surgical care for sport-related neurospine injuries and managed care systems.
Listen
Neurologists Share Tips for Securing Patient Access to Gene Therapies
March 19th 2025Tenacious efforts at every level, from the individual clinician to the hospital to the state to Congress, will be needed to make sure patients can access life-saving gene therapies for neuromuscular diseases.
Read More
EMBARK Data Show Continued Improvements With DMD Gene Therapy
March 19th 2025Data from the EMBARK trial of delandistrogene moxeparvovec in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) show that benefits in functional outcomes, gene expression, and muscle imaging persist 2 years after receiving the gene therapy.
Read More
How Access to SMA Treatment Varies Globally and by Insurance Type
March 18th 2025Posters presented at the 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinical & Scientific Conference show that therapeutic advances in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are not uniformly making it into the hands of patients who could benefit.
Read More