Guselkumab safe,effective in patients with active psoriatic arthritis

Prof. Atul Deodhar and his associates conducted a study to assess the efficacy and safety of guselkumab in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. Guselkumab, a human monoclonal antibody that binds to the p19 subunit of interleukin 23, has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Psoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects some people who have psoriasis, a condition that features red patches of skin topped with silvery scales. Most people develop psoriasis first and are later diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, but the joint problems can sometimes begin before skin lesions appear.

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2a trial was done at 34 rheumatology and dermatology centres which included participants aged 18 years or older with active psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis affecting at least 3% of their body surface area, with three or more of 66 tender joints and three or more of 68 swollen joints, who had an inadequate response or intolerance to standard treatments.

Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive subcutaneous guselkumab 100 mg or placebo at week 0, week 4, and every 8 weeks thereafter for 24 weeks.

At week 16, patients with less than 5% improvement in swollen and tender joint counts were eligible for an early escape to ustekinumab. At week 24, the remaining placebo-treated patients crossed over to receive guselkumab 100 mg at weeks 24, 28, 36, and 44 and guselkumab-treated patients received a placebo injection at week 24, followed by guselkumab injections at weeks 28, 36, and 44.

The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with at least 20% improvement at week 24 in signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.

Key findings of the study:

Out of randomly assigned 149 patients to treatment, 100 to guselkumab and 49 to placebo.

• 17 (35%) of 49 patients in the placebo group and ten (10%) of 100 patients in the guselkumab group were eligible for an early escape to ustekinumab at week 16.


• 29 (59%) of 49 patients in the placebo group crossed over and received guselkumab at week 24.


• Three (6%) of 49 patients in the placebo group, one (3%) of 29 patients who crossed over from placebo to guselkumab, and six (6%) of 100 patients in the guselkumab group discontinued study treatment before week 44.


• 58 (58%) of 100 patients in the guselkumab group and nine (18%) of 49 patients in the placebo group achieved an ACR20 response at week.

The study concluded that Guselkumab, a novel anti-interleukin 23p19 antibody, significantly improved signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis and was well tolerated during 44 weeks of treatment.

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https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30952-8