Bimekizumab

Bimekizumab, a novel monoclonal antibody directed against both interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F, is in clinical development as a treatment for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The purpose of this review is to highlight the roles of IL-17A and IL-17F in psoriatic inflammation as well as the clinical data on bimekizumab that has been reported to date. Phase 2 efficacy results with bimekizumab have demonstrated high levels of rapid skin clearance in psoriasis patients, and high levels of joint disease improvement in psoriatic arthritis patients. Thus far, safety concerns have been limited to cases of mucocutaneous candidiasis, which have been mild-to-moderate and manageable in most instances. IL-17A and IL-17F are key pro-inflammatory effector cytokines that are over-expressed in psoriatic skin and joints. Bimekizumab, which targets both IL-17A and IL-17F, has shown great promise thus far as a new treatment for patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Confirmatory efficacy and safety results in phase 3 studies for these diseases are eagerly anticipated.