Psoriasis Recap: Updated COVID-19 Guidance, Guselkumab Study Results, and More

Recent reports from Dermatology Times^® document new COVID-19 guidance for people with psoriatic disease, positive phase 3b results for guselkumab, and novel findings for a protein linked to psoriasis.

NPF Issues New COVID-19 Guidelines

In response to the updated CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people, the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) COVID-19 Task Force has issued new guidance for people living with psoriatic disease.

The statements recommend for people with psoriatic disease who are on a variety of medications targeted at treating their disease to continue to use face masks and practice social distancing when around nonvaccinated individuals or those whose vaccination status cannot be verified. The guidelines also advise avoiding antibody testing to assess immunity after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Read more about the new guidance in Dermatology Times^®.

Janssen Releases Phase 3b Study Results for Guselkumab

Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies shared positive safety and efficacy data from a phase 3b study for guselkumab (Tremfya), the first FDA-approved selective interleukin (IL)-23 inhibitor, in patients with psoriatic arthritis who are resistant or intolerant to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors.

In the study, patients treated with guselkumab experienced improvements in joint symptom relief of at least 20% at week 24 compared to placebo (44% vs 19.8%). At 1 year, patients saw a 57.7% improvement with guselkumab, and it was shown to besuperior to placebo in improving symptoms, general health outcomes, and physical function.

Read more about the study in Dermatology Times^®.

Protein Found to Be Linked With Psoriasis

A recent study published in EMBO Molecular Medicine found that the c-Jun protein found in dendritic cells serves an important role in skin inflammation associated with psoriasis. The protein was found to be prominently expressed in psoriatic lesions and critical for IL-23 expression, which is key for psoriasis pathogenesis.

The investigators detected elevated c-Jun values in the skin of people with psoriasis and found that deactivation of the protein reduced epidermal thickening and reduced immune cell infiltration. The study findings provide insight into the previously unknown pro-inflammatory role of c-Jun in dermal dendritic cells, which occurs by controlling the presentation of IL-23.

Read more about the c-Jun protein in Dermatology Times^®.