Ilumetri restores well-being of patients with psoriasis to general population levels

Key takeaways:

• Patients with psoriasis treated with Ilumetri (tildrakizumab) saw improvement as early as 16 weeks after initiation.
• Six of 10 patients achieved a PASI response of 1 or less.

Ilumetri effectively restored the level of well-being of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis to those of the general population, according to interim results released by Almirall.

Ilumetri (tildrakizumab) is an interleukin-23 inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy. In Almirall’s recent and ongoing POSITIVE study, Ilumetri demonstrated an ability to restore patients’ well-being to the level of the general population as early as 16 weeks after initiation.

“These findings represent a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to address the needs of patients and dermatologists to treat chronic dermatological conditions and help improve the patients’ health and well-being,” Volker Koscielny, chief medical officer at Almirall, said in a press release. “The POSITIVE study demonstrates not only the efficacy of Ilumetri in clearing skin but also its impact on enhancing patients’ overall well-being, which ultimately can contribute to the successful treatment enabling patients to get their lives back.”

As Healio previously reported, POSITIVE is the first real-world, prospective trial to take a holistic and person-centered approach when treating a large number of patients with psoriasis using the WHO-5 Well-being Index, a questionnaire comprised of five items that assesses the psychological well-being of patients undergoing treatment.

According to the release, nearly 77% of patients with psoriasis believe their condition affects not only their daily lives, but also their well-being. The results of this study showed that after 52 weeks of treatment with Ilumetri, six of 10 patients achieved a PASI response of 1 or less. Additionally, no new safety signals were observed.

According to the release, this ongoing study will continue to follow these patients for 24 months of Ilumetri treatment.