Immunology
More than skin-deep: Aiming high on behalf of psoriasis patients
There is every reason to watch progress in psoriasis research closely; looking more than skin-deep as psoriasis still remains unsatisfactorily treated in nearly half of cases. In addition, like many other skin problems, psoriasis also has a significant number of associated diseases, which are highly troublesome for the individual. Overall a third of patients have moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is the most common form, affecting 80 to 90 per cent of psoriasis patients. Immunologists and clinicians at Boehringer Ingelheim are pursuing new approaches in different clinical trials: The frontrunner biologic is risankizumab (the IL-23p19 blocker BI 655066).
A phase II study showed that after nine months, 69 per cent of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis maintained clear or almost clear skin (PASI 90) with risankizumab in the higher dose group compared to 30 per cent of patients on ustekinumab. Patients also achieved this skin clearance significantly faster and for more than two months longer than those on ustekinumab. Completely clear skin (PASI 100) was maintained after nine months in nearly triple the percentage of patients on risankizumab compared with ustekinumab. Apart from BI 655066, several additional compounds are in earlier clinical stages of development and already show signs of high therapeutic potential for patients suffering from other immunological diseases such as psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease or lupus nephritis.
Boehringer Ingelheim will continue to invest in the research and development of other, earlier phase compounds in the immunology pipeline while proactively building its capabilities in this important area.