Recent studies have demonstrated that bimekizumab—which works by targeting the inflammation mediator interleukin-17A/F—may be an effective treatment option for patients with axial spondyloarthritis, according to a report from MedPage Today. In the BE MOBILE 1 and BE MOBILE 2 phase III trials—published by van der Heijde et al in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases—researchers randomly assigned 600 patients with clinical and radiographic axial spondyloarthritis to receive either an injection of bimekizumab every 4 weeks for 16 weeks or placebo. Following the regimen, the researchers discovered that 45% to 48% of patients taking bimekizumab saw a 40% improvement in Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society ratings compared with 21% to 23% of those who received placebo, and that the mean Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index scores declined from 6.6 to between 4.7 and 5.1. However, patients taking the interleukin-17A/F inhibitor were at higher risk of experiencing adverse events such as nasopharyngitis, diarrhea, oral candidiasis, fungal infections, neutropenia, and hepatic events. The researchers highlighted that bimekizumab is expected to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of psoriasis later in 2023, and anticipated that the drug will similarly be approved for use in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.
May 25, 2023