Key clinical point: Bimekizumab improved the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with previous inadequate response to or intolerance of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) inhibitors without causing any unprecedented adverse events (AE).
Major finding: At week 16, a significantly higher proportion of patients receiving bimekizumab vs placebo achieved ≥50% improvement in American College of Rheumatology response (43% vs 7%; odds ratio 11.1; P < .0001), with treatment-emergent AE being reported by 40% of patients receiving bimekizumab and 33% of patients receiving placebo.
Study details: Findings are from the multicenter, phase 3 BE COMPLETE study including 400 patients with active PsA and previous inadequate response to or intolerance of TNFα inhibitors who were randomly assigned to receive 160 mg subcutaneous bimekizumab every 4 weeks or placebo.
Disclosures: This study was funded by UCB Pharma. Five authors declared being employees and shareholders of UCB Pharma, and the other authors reported ties with several sources, including UCB Pharma.
Source: Merola JF et al. Bimekizumab in patients with active psoriatic arthritis and previous inadequate response or intolerance to tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (BE COMPLETE). Lancet. 2022 (Dec 6). Doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02303-0