Fan, Heng

ABSTRACT Background Secukinumab, a fully human, monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin‐17A, is approved for moderate‐to‐severe HS in adults. This study evaluated pharmacokinetics (PK), high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) changes, and safety of secukinumab over 52 weeks in SUNSHINE and SUNRISE Phase 3 trials. Methods An exploratory analysis of pooled Phase‐3 trials evaluated serum PK and safety of secukinumab 300 mg every 2 (SECQ2W) or 4 weeks (SECQ4W). A population PK model assessed the effects of body weight, disease severity, and baseline hsCRP on secukinumab serum concentration. Exposure–response analysis assessed the relationship between predicted PK and HS clinical response [HiSCR]. No confirmatory statistical testing was performed. Results Mean serum trough concentration at Weeks 16, 24, and 52 was ~2‐fold higher with SECQ2W vs. SECQ4W. At Week 16, exposure overlap was high, with an estimated numerical increase in HiSCR of ~3% for SECQ2W over SECQ4W. At Week 52, HiSCR levels plateaued. At Week 16, hsCRP decreased from 18.6 ± 26.3 mg/L to 12.8 ± 18.0 mg/L (SECQ2W), 15.9 ± 27.6 mg/L to 11.5 ± 18.4 mg/L (SECQ4W), and remained unchanged with placebo (14.4 ± 22.5 mg/L to 14.7 ± 23.8 mg/L); reductions were sustained through Week 52. Higher body weight, disease severity, and baseline hsCRP were associated with lower secukinumab serum concentrations. Secukinumab immunogenicity was low (< 1%), with no new safety signals. Conclusion Secukinumab serum concentrations in patients with HS varied with body weight, disease severity, and baseline hsCRP. SECQ2W may benefit certain patients. Secukinumab reduced hsCRP through Week 52. The safety profile of secukinumab was consistent with other approved indications, with no apparent dose–response relationship observed. Trial Registration NCT03713619 (Novartis study code CAIN457M2301). NCT03713632 (Novartis study code CAIN457M2302)

Abstract Background Patients with lichen planus (LP) refractory to available therapies often experience a high disease burden, representing a population with a clear unmet need for new treatments. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of secukinumab 300 mg over 32 weeks in adult patients with biopsy-proven cutaneous LP (CLP), mucosal LP (MLP) or lichen planopilaris (LPP) that is inadequately controlled by topical corticosteroids. Methods PRELUDE was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled phase II proof-of-concept study that enrolled patients with CLP, MLP or LPP. Eligible patients were randomized to either secukinumab 300 mg every 4 weeks for 32 weeks (SECQ4W) or placebo for 16 weeks followed by secukinumab 300 mg every 2 weeks (SECQ2W) for 16 weeks. The primary endpoint was achievement of the newly designed Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) score ≤ 2 at week 16. Results Overall, 111 patients were randomized (n = 37 each) to CLP, MLP and LPP cohorts. As the proof-of-concept criteria were not met for any of the three cohorts, the primary objective was not met. A numerically higher proportion of patients achieved IGA ≤ 2 response at week 16 with SECQ4W vs. placebo in the MLP {37.5% [95% credibility interval (Crl) 20.3–57.2] vs. 23.1% (95% Crl 6.5–49.2)} and LPP cohorts [37.5% (95% Crl 20.2–57.3) vs. 30.8% (95% Crl 10.8–57.6)]. In the LPP cohort, a sustained response for IGA ≤ 2 from week 16 to week 32 was achieved with SECQ4W (week 16, 37.5%; week 32, 45.8%), and a substantial improvement was observed in IGA ≤ 2 response in patients from this cohort who switched from placebo (week 16, 30.8%) to SECQ2W after week 16 (week 32, 63.6%). The safety profile was consistent with the known profile of secukinumab and showed no new or unexpected signals. Conclusions PRELUDE is the first randomized controlled basket trial evaluating interleukin (IL)-17A inhibition with secukinumab across three subtypes of LP. Secukinumab was well tolerated and safe, showing different response rates across the three subtypes, with numerical IGA improvements in MLP and LPP, and no response in CLP. The study raises the question of a differential role of IL-17A across LP subtypes. The novel IGA score showed significant correlation with both patient- and physician-reported outcome measurements.