Union Chimique Belge (UCB) has announced the release of new positive data regarding Bimzelx (bimekizumab) in moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).
The BE HEARD trial programme found that Bimzelx showed complete resolution of inflammatory lesions in patients with moderate to severe HS, as well as significant improvements in the severity of their disease. These results were sustained at three years of study.
Analysis found that, at three years, the proportion of patients who had severe HS – as measured by the International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System (IHS4) – fell from 87.4% to 14.7%. The proportion of patients with only mild or inactive HS at three years, meanwhile, rose from 0.0% to 59.4%. It was also found that improvements in quality of life outcomes were sustained at three years of study.
Data from the BE HEARD programme will be presented at the 15th Conference of the European Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation (EHSF).
HS is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that develops in early adulthood. It is characterised by nodules, abscesses and pus-discharging draining tunnels. These often appear in areas including the armpits, groin and buttocks, leading to severe and often debilitating pain. HS affects around 1% of the population in the majority of studied countries.
Bimzelx is the first and only medicine that has been approved to selectively inhibit both interleukin 17A (IL-17A) and interleukin 17F (IL 17F), both of which are cytokines associated with driving inflammatory responses.
Bimzelx is approved in the EU for a number of indications, including HS, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis.
Professor Thrasyvoulos Tzellos, head physician at the Department of Dermatology, Nordland Hospital Trust, Bodø, Norway, said: “This data shows that bimekizumab delivers high long-term resolution rates of [inflammatory] lesions, underscoring its sustained control of inflammation and potential to avoid structural damage and disease progression.”
Donatello Crocetta, chief medical officer at UCB, added: “The data at EHSF showed bimekizumab’s ability to reduce HS disease severity over an extended three-year period. The depth and durability of efficacy reinforces its importance for both people living with HS and the clinical community.”