Soumya Chakravarty, MD, PhD: Guselkumab Demonstrates Long-Term Efficacy in Treating PsA

In an interview with HCPLive, Soumya Chakravarty, MD, PhD, discussed the recent data presented at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) 2023 Annual Meeting in which guselkumab was shown to have long-term clinical response, including disease remission, and improve fatigue levels in patients with psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Chakravarty emphasized Janssen’s commitment to advancing care for millions of people in the United States who are living with these conditions. As part of this commitment, his team shared 2 post hoc analyses from their phase 3 DISCOVER-1 and DISCOVER-2 studies that looked at efficacy results and improvements in adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis.

The first analysis showed that early skin and enthesitis responses, as early as week 8 for enthesitis and 8 to 16 weeks for skin, were associated with sigificant clinical responses. In DISCOVER 2, they were able to demonstrate efficacy in several psoriatic arthritis clinical trial endpoints over a 2-year period, regardless of baseline clinical characteristics. Moreover, guselkumab was shown to improve fatigue in patients who had elevated levels of fatigue at baseline, with statistically significant benefits observed as early as week 8.

“Psoriatic arthritis is a complex multifactorial disease that can manifest in different ways,” Chakravarty explained. “Patients can present with joint involvement, skin involvement, enthesitis, dactylitis, axial involvement, etc. These analyses help to demonstrate that across those domains of psoriatic arthritis, irrespective of baseline clinical characteristics, we saw long-term benefits. I think that's important in terms of shared decision making between patients and their providers when thinking about a treatment choice and what's right for each patient.”

Chakravarty believes that advancing PsO and PsA care involves not only delving into the scientific data but also extending beyond it, including a dedication to innovation and collaborating with patients throughout their journey. He and his team are dedicated to working alongside advocacy groups and partners like the AAD to ensure that they address the needs of patients of color with psoriatic disease and strive to ensure that dermatologists and healthcare providers reflect the diversity of their communities, to ultimately ensure that the best interests of the patient and the provider are met.

This transcript was edited for clarity. For more information, view Chakravarty’s full interview above.