Bimekizumab in Patients with Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis: Analysis of Mental Health and Associated Disorders

Introduction: Patients (pts) with psoriasis have a greater risk of depression and suicidality than the general population.1 Here, we report Week (Wk)16 and longer-term depression and suicidal ideation and behavior (SIB) data in bimekizumab (BKZ)-treated pts with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Procedure/study: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9, scored 0–27, measured depression severity monthly to Wk16 (regular intervals during BE BRIGHT open-label extension);2,3 higher scores indicate worse depression. PHQ-9 data were pooled from Wk0–16 of BE VIVID/BE READY (BKZ 320mg every 4 weeks [Q4W] vs. placebo [PBO]);4,5 3-year BE BRIGHT data are also reported.3 An independent Neuropsychiatric Adjudication Committee evaluated potential SIB treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and elevated PHQ-9 scores. Adjudicated SIB (suicide completion/attempt/ideation) incidence/100 pt-years (yrs; PY) was pooled from nine BKZ phase 2/3/3b trials in psoriasis, including up to 5 yrs’ exposure.3–11 Results: At Wk16, mean reduction from baseline in PHQ-9 with BKZ Q4W (N=670) vs. PBO (N=169) was 1.3 vs. 0.3; overall mean Wk16 scores were 1.2 and 2.4 for BKZ and PBO. Low mean BKZ PHQ-9 scores were maintained over 3 yrs of BE BRIGHT following the feeder studies (Wk144: 1.2). At Wk16, 92.9% of BKZ pts scored 0–4 in PHQ-9 (no/minimal depression) vs. 81.1% of PBO pts; 1.3% vs. 6.3% scored ≥10 (moderate–severe depression). Through Wk16, 0.7% BKZ vs. 4.1% PBO pts scored ≥15 (moderately severe–severe) in PHQ-9 at any visit. Over 7,166 PY of BKZ exposure (N=2,480), the rate of adjudicated SIB TEAEs was 0.126/100 PY. Conclusion: PHQ-9 scores were low through Wk16 and remained low with longer BKZ exposure. The vast majority of BKZ pts had no/minimal depression at Wk16. The long-term incidence rate of adjudicated SIB with BKZ was low and similar to the general psoriasis population (range: 0.09–0.54/100 PY).1,12 Funding: UCB Pharma.