Risankizumab at the 2017 ACR Annual Meeting in San Diego

Risankizumab is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that inhibits interleukin-23 by specifically targeting the p19 subunit. It is also called BI 655066 or ABBV-066. There are quite a lot of competing compounds targeting IL-23 or IL-17 to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis [PsA]. The market for psoriatic arthritis is much smaller than for rheumatoid arthritis, but any new drug is welcome, because some patients who do not get better on a galore of drugs will just do fine on the next biologic. Risankizumab is tested in Crohn's disease, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis [1].

K.A. Papp and colleagues published this study [2] in the New England Journal of Medicine: “Risankizumab versus Ustekinumab for Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis”. They could conclude: “In this phase 2 trial, selective blockade of interleukin-23 with risankizumab was associated with clinical responses superior to those associated with ustekinumab. […]”

Risankizumab appeared at the 2017 ACR Annual Meeting in San Diego with just one study in the late breaking section. P.J. Mease and colleagues presented [3]: “Efficacy and Safety Results from a Phase 2 Trial of Risankizumab, a Selective IL-23p19 Inhibitor, in Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis”. Patients were stratified into groups of 20-40 to look at different dosages of risankizumab (RZB). “ACR20 responses were significantly greater in pts receiving RZB (across all arms, 57.1–65.0%) compared with PBO (37.5% …)”. Conclusion: “In this Phase 2 study, RZB significantly improved joint and skin symptoms in pts with active PsA. RZB was well-tolerated with no new or unexpected safety findings.”

It doesn’t mean that we have a new drug, but in a few years we might have a new drug against psoriatic arthritis and maybe then also against ankylosing spondylitis. There have to be some phase 3 studies before getting approval by FDA and EMA, but my guess is that AbbVie is planning to go for approval of risankizumab in different indications. Let’s wait.

 

 

Links:

[1] https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/pipeline/risankizumab.html 

[2] http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1607017

[3] Mease PJ, Kellner H, Morita A, Kivitz AJ, Papp KA, Aslanyan S, Berner B, Chen K, Eldred A, Behrens F. Efficacy and Safety Results from a Phase 2 Trial of Risankizumab, a Selective IL-23p19 Inhibitor, in Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017; 69 (suppl 10). http://acrabstracts.org/abstract/efficacy-and-safety-results-from-a-phase-2-trial-of-risankizumab-a-selective-il-23p19-inhibitor-in-patients-with-active-psoriatic-arthritis/. Accessed March 8, 2018.

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26080615  

 

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