Original articleEfficacy and safety of itolizumab, a novel anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody, in patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis: Results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase-III study

BackgroundItolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody to CD6, is a novel therapeutic agent evaluated in chronic plaque psoriasis.ObjectiveWe sought to assess the safety and efficacy of itolizumab in moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis.MethodsA total of 225 patients were randomized (2:2:1) to 2 different itolizumab arms (A or B; A = 4-week loading dose of 0.4 mg/kg/wk followed by 1.6 mg/kg every 2 weeks; B = 1.6/mg every 2 weeks) or placebo. At week 12, the placebo arm was switched to 1.6 mg/kg itolizumab every 2 weeks. The primary end point was the proportion of patients with at least 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score at week 12.ResultsAt week 12, 27.0% in arm A (P = .0172 vs placebo), 36.4% in B (P = .0043 vs placebo), and 2.3% in the placebo arm had at least 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score. At week 28, the proportion with at least 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score was comparable: 46.1%, 45.5%, and 41.9% for A, B, and placebo, respectively. In weeks 1 to 12, the incidence of all adverse events was comparable across arms (A, 43%; B, 38%; placebo, 47%) and the incidence of infections was not greater than placebo (11.1%, 8.9%, and 18.6% for A, B, and placebo).LimitationsNo active comparator is a limitation.ConclusionsItolizumab is an effective and well-tolerated novel biological therapy in moderate to severe psoriasis.