A multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study evaluating the efficacy and safety of vunakizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis

Vunakizumab (SHR-1314) is a novel interleukin 17A monoclonal antibody that has shown preliminary efficacy and tolerability in phase I trials.To evaluate the efficacy and safety of vunakizumab in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.In this 36-week, multicenter, double-blinded, phase II study (NCT03463187), 187 eligible patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were randomized 1:1:1:1:1 to receive vunakizumab (40, 80, 160, or 240 mg) or placebo subcutaneously, every 4 weeks, until week 12 (2 more drug administrations for the vunakizumab groups on weeks 16 and 20). The primary end point was at least 75% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index at week 12.At week 12, there were significantly greater proportions of responders with at least 75% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index in all vunakizumab groups compared to placebo (40, 80, 160, and 240 mg: 56.8%, 65.8%, 81.6%, and 86.5%, respectively, vs 5.4%; P < .001 for all); the proportions of patients achieving Physician's Global Assessment responses of 0 or 1 were also higher with vunakizumab (45.9%, 47.4%, 60.5%, and 73.0%, respectively, vs 8.1%). No unexpected adverse effects were observed.The study was relatively short in duration and included no active control.Vunakizumab showed promising efficacy for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, with good tolerability, warranting further investigation in larger and longer-term studies.