Philip J Mease, MD: Bimekizumab Demonstrates Favorable Efficacy Compared with Other DMARDs for PsA

There have been only a few head-to-head studies comparing one drug to another in the field of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), although they are more prevalent in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the absence of direct comparisons to determine superiority or comparability in efficacy and safety between drugs, an alternative method, network meta-analysis (NMA), is gaining traction. This statistical methodology is increasingly reliable, sophisticated, and accepted by physicians and insurance companies when deciding on treatment options and formulary inclusion.

In an interview with HCPLive, Philip J Mease, MD, a clinical professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and director of rheumatology research at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, discusses the recent data comparing the safety and efficacy of bimekizumab with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in a cohort of patients with PsA.

The recent study split analyses based on prior tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor treatment and biologic-naive patients. It evaluated primary endpoints and safety measures, showing bimekizumab’s efficacy compared with other drugs.

Bimekizumab ranked highly in achieving the American College of Rheumatology’s 50% improvement (ACR50) response and skin response criteria, surpassing other treatments in some instances. Results showed bimekizumab is not only highly effective but also comparable in safety to existing treatments. These findings can guide clinicians in recommending bimekizumab with confidence to patients and provide valuable information to payers and regulatory agencies when assessing its competitiveness in the market.

A key limitation, Mease said, is the absence of head-to-head trials, which are the most accurate way to compare drug classes accurately. Despite this, the study's strength lies in its up-to-date and rigorous analysis using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, providing valuable insights into bimekizumab's performance relative to other treatments.

Moving forward, potential next steps may include conducting head-to-head trials and possibly further analyses like Match-Adjusted Indirect Comparison (MAIC) trials.

Mease is a paid consultant for Janssen.

References

Philip J Mease, Dafna D Gladman, Joseph F Merola, Peter Nash, Stacy Grieve, Victor Laliman-Khara, Damon Willems, Vanessa Taieb, Adam R Prickett, Laura C Coates, Comparative efficacy and safety of bimekizumab in psoriatic arthritis: a systematic literature review and network meta-analysis, Rheumatology, 2024;, kead705, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/kead705