Guselkumab Efficacy after Withdrawal Is Associated with Suppression of Serum IL-23-Regulated IL-17 and IL-22 in Psoriasis: VOYAGE 2 Study.

BACKGROUND

Guselkumab selectively inhibits IL-23 and in psoriasis, produces high clinical responses, including durable maintenance after treatment withdrawal in some patients. The relationships between IL-23 blockade, serum markers downstream of IL-23 signaling, and withdrawal were explored with guselkumab in VOYAGE 2.

METHODS

At week 28, patients with ≥90% Psoriasis Area and Severity Index improvement from baseline (PASI 90) were rerandomized to withdrawal and received placebo (n = 182), or maintenance therapy (n = 193). The guselkumab withdrawal group reinitiated guselkumab upon loss of ≥50% of week- 28 PASI improvement or by week 72. Cytokine changes associated with psoriasis recurrence (serum IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-22, and IL-23) after withdrawal were evaluated.

RESULTS

Efficacy in the guselkumab maintenance group was sustained through week 72, whereas efficacy diminished in the guselkumab withdrawal group (PASI 90, 86.0% vs. 11.5%). After 20 weeks of retreatment, 80.4% of guselkumab withdrawal patients achieved PASI 90 responses versus baseline. Maintenance of response after withdrawal was associated with suppression of IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22. Increases in cytokine levels had poor predictive power for psoriasis reoccurrence as these increases lagged behind increases in PASI scores.

CONCLUSION

Upon guselkumab withdrawal, most patients lost clinical response and regained responses with retreatment. Correlation of IL-23 signaling serum cytokines increased with disease recurrence, supporting the role of IL-23 in expansion and maintenance of CD4+ T helper type 17, T helper type 22, and related CD8+ T-cell subsets producing IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22.