Secukinumab shows sustained improvement in paediatric psoriasis

Treatment with either low-dose (LD) or high-dose (HD) secukinumab showed continued improvement in PASI* and IGA** responses up to 24 weeks in children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, according to updated results of a trial presented at PAS 2021.

This multicentre, open-label study analysed 84 paediatric patients (aged 6 to <18 years) diagnosed with moderate-to-severe psoriasis (mean baseline PASI score, 18.9) who received either secukinumab LD 75/75/150 mg (n=42) or HD 75/150/300 mg (n=42) for 24 weeks. Patients were stratified according to their weight (<25, 25 to <50, and ≥50 kg, respectively) and disease severity. [PAS 2021, abstract 2062]

By week 24, a high proportion of patients treated with either dose of secukinumab achieved continuous increase in PASI 75 (95.2 percent), PASI 90 (88.1 percent), and PASI 100 responses (66.7 percent).

Both secukinumab LD and HD groups also achieved an IGA modified 2011 score of 0/1 at 24 weeks (88.1 percent and 92.9 percent, respectively).

In addition, 70.7 percent and 60.5 percent of the patients on secukinumab LD or HD, respectively, reported a CDLQI*** score of 0/1 at week 24, indicating psoriasis did not affect their quality of life (QoL), said Dr Adam Reich, who presented the study on behalf of the investigators, from the Department of Dermatology at University of Rzeszów in Rzeszów, Poland.

The rates of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were comparable between the secukinumab LD and HD treatment groups (57.1 percent for both), [which were] “consistent with the known safety profile of secukinumab in adults,” Reich said.

Infections and infestations (35.7 percent and 42.9 percent), gastrointestinal disorders (9.5 percent and 19.0 percent), and skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders (9.5 percent for both) were the most frequent AEs reported in the secukinumab LD and HD groups, respectively.

“Current treatment options approved for paediatric psoriasis are limited, resulting in an unmet medical need for this vulnerable patient group, … our findings showed that [both] doses of secukinumab [for up to Week 24] are highly efficacious in rapidly clearing skin symptoms [(PASI 75/90/100 and IGA 0/1)] and improving QoL [with a favourable safety profile] in paediatric patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis,” said Reich.

*PASI: Psoriasis Area and Severity Index

**IGA: Investigator’s Global Assessment

***CDLQI: Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index