Greater Efficacy with Secukinumab Treatment is Associated with Greater Psoriasis Symptom Relief: Results from Secukinumab Clinical Trial Data

Background Psoriasis negatively affects patients’ quality of life. Secukinumab is a human interleukin-17A antagonist indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Objectives The current analysis evaluated the benefits of secukinumab by assessing relationships between disease severity and patient-reported symptoms. Methods Correlations between psoriasis-related itching, pain, and scaling and disease severity scores (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI] and Investigator's Global Assessment [IGA]) were evaluated at baseline, Week 12, and change from baseline to Week 12 using secukinumab clinical data from ERASURE and FIXTURE. Symptom responder status and PASI/IGA change were evaluated using logistic modeling. Results Correlation coefficients ranged 0.11-0.49 for PASI and 0.19-0.52 for IGA. Greater PASI response was related to greater symptom response/complete relief. Conclusions Results further demonstrate the relationship between traditional clinical measures of disease severity and patient-reported, psoriasis-related itching, pain, and scaling –- hence the need to consider both outcomes together to evaluate treatment effects in this disease fully.