Adherence higher, discontinuation lower with ixekizumab vs secukinumab

Psoriasis patients treated with ixekizumab show better persistence and adherence over 24 months as well as a lower risk of discontinuation than those using secukinumab, reports a recent study that used real-world data.

A team of investigators compared ixekizumab or secukinumab treatment patterns over a 24-month period among patients with plaque psoriasis. Using the IBM MarketScan claims databases, they identified adult psoriasis patients who had one or more claims for ixekizumab or secukinumab between 1 March 2016 and 31 October 2019 and with 24 months of follow-up after treatment initiation.

Inverse probability of treatment weighting and multivariable models were used to balance cohorts and assess the risks of nonpersistence, discontinuation, and switching and odds of highly adherent treatment (proportion of days covered ≥80 percent).

Of the eligible participants, 471 were ixekizumab users and 990 secukinumab. Use of ixekizumab was associated with a 20-percent lower risk of nonpersistence (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.70‒0.92), a 17-percent lower risk of discontinuation (HR, 0.83, 95 percent CI, 0.72‒0.96), and a 42-percent higher likelihood of highly adhering to treatment (odds ratio, 1.42, 95 percent CI, 1.12‒1.80) compared to secukinumab.

In addition, there was no difference seen in the risk of switching (HR, 0.83, 95 percent CI, 0.68‒1.01).

The study was limited by the absence of data on disease severity and clinical outcomes.