Key clinical point: Elevated baseline levels of interleukin (IL)-22, IL-17A, and β-defensin (BD)-2 were linked to the achievement of robust skin response with guselkumab in difficult to treat patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who showed inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi-IR).
Major finding: Levels of IL-22 and BD-2 were elevated in TNFi-IR patients with PsA who did vs did not achieve a ≥90% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index with guselkumab (P < .05). Levels of IL-17A and BD-2 were similarly elevated in patients who did vs did not respond to Investigator’s Global Assessment 0/1 criteria with guselkumab (all P < .05).
Study details: This post hoc analysis of pooled data from DISCOVER-1, DISCOVER-2, and COSMOS studies included patients with active PsA who were biologic-naive (n = 251) or had TNFi-IR (n = 93) and who received 100 mg guselkumab every 8 weeks.
Disclosures: This study was sponsored by Janssen Research & Development. Ten authors declared being employees of Janssen or subsidiaries or owning stocks or stock options in Johnson & Johnson. Several authors declared other ties with various sources, including Janssen. Other authors had no conflicts of interest.
Source: Siebert S, Coates LC, Schett G, et al. Modulation of IL-23 signaling with guselkumab in biologic-naïve patients versus TNF inhibitor-inadequate responders with active psoriatic arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024 (Jan 22). doi: 10.1002/art.42803 Source