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New Interleukin-12/23 Monoclonal Antibody Effective Against Moderate to Severe Psoriasis: Presented at EADV

By Jenny Powers

BERLIN -- October 12, 2009 -- Patients with moderate to severe psoriasis experienced disease control following treatment with a new interleukin-12/23 monoclonal antibody known as ABT-874, researchers noted here at the 18th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV).

ABT-874 offered disease control regardless of age, weight, gender, previous treatment history, the presence of psoriatic arthritis, or disease severity. Even patients with severe psoriasis achieved a score of 75 on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) within 12 weeks of treatment.

Richard Langley, MD, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, reported these findings here on October 8 regarding the efficacy of ABT-874. The study explored the effect of baseline characteristics of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis on the efficacy of ABT-874.

The 12-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study enrolled 180 adults, all of whom had psoriasis affecting at least 10% of their body surface area and a PASI score of 12 or greater. The subjects were randomised into 1 of 6 treatment arms:

1. 200 mg ABT-874 at week 0
2. 100 mg ABT- 874 every other week for 12 weeks
3. 200 mg ABT-874 weekly for 4 weeks
4. 200 mg ABT-874 every other week for 12 weeks
5. 200 mg ABT-874 weekly for 12 weeks or
6. Placebo

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of psoriatic arthritis history, PASI score, previous psoriasis treatments, and Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) score (severe/very severe) on achieving PASI 75 at week 12 following treatment with ABT-874.

ABT-874 was effective at all dose levels; 86% of all ABT-874-treated patients achieved PASI 75 at week 12 versus 3% in the placebo group. Additionally, no patients in the placebo group achieved PASI 90 compared with 53% of all ABT-874-treated patients.

Regarding weight characteristics, the percentage of patients achieving PASI 75 at week 12 in the 100 kg-or-less category was 88.7% versus 81.1% in the over-100 kg group.

The PASI 75 responses for patients with and without psoriatic arthritis were 83.7% versus 86.9% respectively, and 85.5% of patients with a PGA score of severe or very severe at baseline achieved PASI 75. Eighty-seven percent of patients with baseline PASI scores of 20 or less achieved PASI 75 responses at week 12, compared with 84% whose baseline PASI scores were greater than 20.

Prior psoriasis therapies -- using either systemic or biologic agents, topicals, or phototherapy -- had no effect on the PASI 75 response rates achieved with ABT-874.

ABT-874 was well tolerated.

Funding for this study was provided by Abbott Laboratories.

[Presentation title: Effect of Baseline Characteristics on the Efficacy of ABT-874 for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis. Abstract P1197]

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