Abatacept
In the pivotal double-blind, phase 3 trial involving 424 psoriatic arthritis patients, roughly 60% with prior exposure to a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor and 60% on concomitant methotrexate, the proportion of patients with at least 20% improvement in the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR20) was 39.4% in patients on the selective T-cell costimulation modulator, compared with 22.3% among placebo-treated controls. The benefit on psoriasis lesions was modest, and there was no significant difference between the two study arms in terms of Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index response rates (Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 Sep;76[9]:1550-8).
Dr. Eric M. Ruderman
“I think we could say the effect is modest,” Dr. Kavanaugh said. “The challenge to us still is to identify patients who are going to have a good response, likely the patients with more joint than skin symptoms.”
An attractive feature of the drug is that its safety profile is well known as a result of its extensive track record in treating RA, he added.