Serious infection risk in children with psoriasis on systemic treatment: A propensity score-matched population-based study

A Scalable Approach to Assess the Safety of Recently Marketed Systemic Treatments for Atopic Dermatitis in Clinical Practice: First Analysis Cycle of a Sequential Monitoring System

Targeted systemic immune-modulating drugs to treat atopic dermatitis were highly efficacious in randomized trials. Trials with limited number of subjects leave questions about their safety. We describe a data and analytics structure for the production of timely, high-quality evidence on the comparative safety of recently approved immune-modulating drugs in patients with atopic dermatitis in clinical practice. We established a series of sequential propensity score-balanced cohorts that grow in size with each annual data refresh. Nine health outcomes of interest plus conjunctivitis as a positive tracer outcome were identified. The initial treatment comparison was dupilumab, an IL-4/13 inhibitor, or tralokinumab, an IL-13 inhibitor, versus abrocitinib/upadacitinib, both Jak inhibitors. The first analysis cycle (December 2021-February 2023) compared 269 patients initiating Jak inhibitors and 2650 initiating IL-4/IL-13 inhibitors. Patient characteristics were well-balanced after propensity score matching. Outpatient infections within 180 days occurred in 18% of Jak1 inhibitor initiators versus 12% of dupilumab/tralokinumab initiators (risk ratio = 1.50, 95% confidence interval = 0.96-2.33), whereas acne risks were 7 versus 3%, respectively (risk ratio = 2.29, 95% confidence interval = 0.96-5.46). This sequential monitoring system will produce essential knowledge on the safety of immune-modulating drugs to treat atopic dermatitis on the basis of its growing study size of patients observed in clinical practice.

Concepts of Designing and Implementing Pharmacoepidemiology Studies on the Safety of Systemic Treatments in Dermatology Practice

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and clinical guidelines use evidence from pharmacoepidemiology studies to inform prescribing decisions and fill evidence gaps left by randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The long-term safety and infrequent adverse reactions are not well-understood when RCTs are short and involve few patients, as is the case for most systemic immunomodulating drugs in dermatology. A better understanding of the design and implementation of pharmacoepidemiology studies will help practitioners assess the accuracy of etiologic findings and use them with confidence in clinical practice. Conducting pharmacoepidemiology studies follows a structured approach, which we discuss in this article: (i) a design layer connects the research question with the appropriate study design, and considering which hypothetical RCT one ideally would want to conduct reduces inadvertent investigator errors; (ii) a measurement layer transforms longitudinal patient-level data into variables that identify the study population, patient characteristics, treatment, and outcomes; and (iii) the analysis focuses on the causal treatment effect estimation. The review and interpretation of pharmacoepidemiology studies should consider issues beyond a typical review of RCTs, chiefly the lack of baseline randomization and the use of secondary data. Well-designed and well-conducted pharmacoepidemiologic studies complement dermatology practice with critical information on prescribing systemic medications.

[Psoriasis in children and adolescents : Short update and guideline-based treatment]

Psoriasis is nowadays regarded as a multifactorial, inflammatory, immune-mediated systemic condition with predominant involvement of the skin. It starts in about one third of cases in childhood and adolescence and is often accompanied by marked impairment of the quality of life of sufferers and their parents. Aside from genetic disposition, trigger factors such as streptococcal infections are notably involved in manifestation and in exacerbations. The harmful role of comorbidities even in the young, particularly of obesity, has been well documented. Treatment options have considerably improved following the approval of five biologic agents in childhood but are still insufficiently used. The present article gives a short overview of current knowledge and the recommendations of the updated German guideline. Besides frequent types, unusual presentations such as pustular psoriasis, psoriasis dermatitis, and paradoxical psoriasis induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors are addressed.

Risk of Infection in Children With Psoriasis Receiving Treatment With Ustekinumab, Etanercept, or Methotrexate Before and After Labeling Expansion

Importance

Psoriasis in children is increasingly treated with systemic medications, yet their risk of serious infection is not well characterized in clinical practice. Pediatric clinical trials for these medications were often small and placebo controlled.

Objective

To estimate the 6-month rate of infections among children with psoriasis who started treatment with ustekinumab, etanercept, or methotrexate.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study used insurance claims data from clinical practices across the US on children aged 17 years or younger with psoriasis who were receiving treatment with a topical medication for psoriasis and started new treatment with ustekinumab, etanercept, or methotrexate. The analysis was stratified by the time before pediatric labeling (2009-2015) and after pediatric approval (2016-2021). Patient follow-up started 1 day after initiating treatment and ended at 6 months.

Exposures

New treatment with ustekinumab, etanercept, and methotrexate.

Main Outcomes and Measures

During follow-up, the frequency of inpatient serious infections and outpatient infections requiring treatment was compared. Event rates and rate ratios were estimated after propensity score decile stratification.

Results

After exclusions, we identified 2338 patients (1368 girls [57.8%]) who initiated new treatment with a targeted immunomodulating agent. In all, 379 patients started treatment with ustekinumab, 779 patients started treatment with etanercept, and 1180 patients started treatment with methotrexate from 2009 through 2021. The propensity score-adjusted incidence rate of serious infection was 18.4 per 1000 person-years (3 events) for ustekinumab users, 25.6 per 1000 person-years (9 events) for etanercept users, and 14.9 per 1000 person-years (8 events) for methotrexate users. The adjusted rate of outpatient infections was 254.9 per 1000 person-years (39 events) for ustekinumab users, 435.7 per 1000 person-years (139 events) for etanercept users, and 433.6 per 1000 person-years (209 events) for methotrexate users. The adjusted rate ratio of outpatient infections was 0.58 (95% CI, 0.41-0.83) for ustekinumab vs etanercept, 0.66 (95% CI, 0.48-0.91) for ustekinumab vs methotrexate, and 0.95 (95% CI, 0.75-1.21) for etanercept vs methotrexate. Rate ratios were similar during the off-label use era and after pediatric labeling.

Conclusions and Relevance

Among children with psoriasis who started treatment with immunomodulating agents, serious infections were infrequent. This cohort study suggests that there was no increase in the risk of outpatient infections for children who started treatment with ustekinumab compared with etanercept or methotrexate.

Secukinumab for the Treatment of Psoriasis in Pediatrics: Patient Selection and Acceptability

Psoriasis (PsO) is a chronic, systemic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease affecting 1% to 5% population worldwide. In one-third of patients, the first symptoms of PsO manifest in childhood, with a mean age of nine years. Psoriasis in children under 16 years of age constitutes 4% of dermatological problems in this age group. Chronic inflammation of the skin observed in PsO is associated with a development of potentially serious comorbidities, including psoriatic arthritis, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, depression and anxiety. It is reported that among children with psoriasis between 5 and 16 years of age health-related quality of life is reduced by 30.5%. Early diagnosis and effective treatment are crucial in pediatric psoriatic patients to avoid future complications and stigmatization. Treatment for psoriasis consists of a range of topical medications, phototherapy and non-biologic and biologic systemic therapies. Approved biologics for PsO in pediatric patients include etanercept, adalimumab, ustekinumab, ixekizumab and secukinumab. Secukinumab, a recombinant, fully human monoclonal antibody targeting IL-17A, was approved by the EMA (2020) and FDA (2021) in pediatric patients above 6 years of age for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy. This review discusses the selection and acceptability of secukinumab in children with psoriasis.

[Psoriasis in children and adolescents]

Psoriasis is nowadays regarded as a multifactorial, inflammatory, immune-mediated systemic condition with predominant involvement of the skin. It starts in about one third of cases in childhood and adolescence and is often accompanied by marked impairment of the quality of life of sufferers and their parents. Aside from genetic disposition, trigger factors such as streptococcal infections are notably involved in manifestation and in exacerbations. The harmful role of comorbidities even in the young, particularly of obesity, has been well documented. Treatment options have considerably improved following the approval of five biologic agents in childhood but are still insufficiently used. The present article gives a short overview of current knowledge and the recommendations of the updated German guideline. Besides frequent types, unusual presentations such as pustular psoriasis, psoriasis dermatitis, and paradoxical psoriasis induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors are addressed.

Managing Pediatric Psoriasis: Update on Treatments and Challenges-A Review

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease with prominent cutaneous features, although the limited number of medications approved for pediatric psoriasis makes treating this population difficult. This review provides an overview of the challenges associated with diagnosing and treating pediatric psoriasis as well as the approved and off-label treatments for children and infants with psoriasis.

METHODS

Articles relevant to pediatric psoriasis were identified using series of PubMed searches. Topics relevant to pediatric psoriasis were explored, including disease characteristics, epidemiology, treatment efficacy and safety, and access to care. Publications previously known to the authors were also included.

RESULTS

Clinical features of psoriasis can be challenging to identify clinically, and patients face challenges gaining access to treatment. Most medications that have been approved for adult psoriasis lack data and labelling to support safe and effective use in pediatric patients, and therefore access is limited. A growing number of clinical trials using biologic agents for pediatric psoriasis aim to broaden available treatment options but may also raise unique concerns associated with the use of these medications in children.

CONCLUSION

Pediatric psoriasis is underrecognized and often undertreated. Clinicians must balance relative risks and potential benefits when developing a treatment strategy for these patients.

Ixekizumab for the treatment of pediatric patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

Introduction: Ixekizumab (IXE), a high affinity humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively targets interleukin-17A, is approved in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) for pediatric patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. This review summarizes ixekizumab use in the phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in pediatric patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and provides some clinical pearls we have learned after using the drug in the pediatric population for the past 3 years.Areas covered: Review of IXORA-PEDS trial data, general literature review pertaining to the systemic treatment of pediatric psoriasis as well as our clinical experience with IXEExpert opinion: IXE is the only IL17 antagonist for pediatric psoriasis and is a welcome addition to our armamentarium.