Guselkumab in biologic-naive patients with active psoriatic arthritis (DISCOVER-2): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

The interleukin-23 (IL-23)/T-helper 17 cell pathway is implicated in psoriatic arthritis pathogenesis. Guselkumab, an IL-23 inhibitor that specifically binds the IL-23 p19 subunit, significantly and safely improved psoriatic arthritis in a phase 2 study. DISCOVER-2 was a phase 3 trial to assess guselkumab in biologic-naive patients with psoriatic arthritis. This phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was done at 118 sites in 13 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. We enrolled biologic-naive patients with active psoriatic arthritis (at least five swollen joints, at least five tender joints, and C-reactive protein ≥0·6 mg/dL) despite standard therapies. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1, computer-generated permuted blocks; stratified by baseline disease-modifying antirheumatic drug use and C-reactive protein concentration) to subcutaneous injections of guselkumab 100 mg every 4 weeks; guselkumab 100 mg at weeks 0, 4, then every 8 weeks; or placebo. The primary endpoint was American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement (ACR20) response at week 24 in all patients per assigned treatment group. Safety was assessed in all patients per treatment received. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03158285 (active, not recruiting). From July 13, 2017, to Aug 3, 2018, 1153 patients were screened, of whom 741 were randomly assigned to receive guselkumab every 4 weeks (n=246), every 8 weeks (n=248), or placebo (n=247). One patient in the every 4 weeks group and one in the placebo group did not start treatment, and the remaining 739 patients started treatment; 716 patients continued treatment up to week 24. Significantly greater proportions of patients in the guselkumab every 4 weeks group (156 [64%] of 245 [95% CI 57-70]) and every 8 weeks group (159 [64%] of 248 [58-70]) than in the placebo group (81 [33%] of 246 [27-39]) achieved an ACR20 response at week 24 (percentage differences vs placebo 31% [95% CI 22-39] for the every 4 weeks group and 31% [23-40] for the every 8 weeks group; both p<0·0001). Up to week 24, serious adverse events occurred in eight (3%) of 245 patients receiving guselkumab every 4 weeks (three serious infections), three (1%) of 248 receiving guselkumab every 8 weeks (one serious infection), and seven (3%) of 246 receiving placebo (one serious infection). No deaths occurred. Guselkumab, a human monoclonal antibody that specifically inhibits IL-23 by binding the cytokine's p19 subunit, was efficacious and demonstrated an acceptable benefit-risk profile in patients with active psoriatic arthritis who were naive to treatment with biologics. These data support the use of selective inhibition of IL-23 to treat psoriatic arthritis. Janssen Research and Development.

Mease PJ ，Rahman P ，Gottlieb AB ，Kollmeier AP ，Hsia EC ，Xu XL ，Sheng S ，Agarwal P ，Zhou B ，Zhuang Y ，van der Heijde D ，McInnes IB ，DISCOVER-2 Study Group ... -  《-》

Guselkumab in patients with active psoriatic arthritis who were biologic-naive or had previously received TNFα inhibitor treatment (DISCOVER-1): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

Many patients with psoriatic arthritis have an inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. Guselkumab, a specific inhibitor of interleukin-23 (IL-23) via IL-23 p19 subunit binding, significantly improved psoriatic arthritis signs and symptoms with an acceptable safety profile in a phase 2 trial. This multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial was done at 86 sites in 13 countries across Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America and enrolled adults with active psoriatic arthritis (at least three swollen and three tender joints; and C-reactive protein ≥0·3 mg/dL) despite standard therapies. Eligibility criteria included inadequate response to or intolerance of standard treatment, including at least 4 months of apremilast, at least 3 months of non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), or at least 4 weeks of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for psoriatic arthritis. About 30% of study participants could have previously received one or two TNF inhibitors. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1, computer-generated permuted blocks; stratified by baseline DMARD and previous TNF inhibitor use) to subcutaneous guselkumab 100 mg every 4 weeks; guselkumab 100 mg at weeks 0, 4, then every 8 weeks; or matching placebo. The primary endpoint was American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement (ACR20) at week 24 in all patients per assigned treatment group using non-responder imputation. Safety was assessed in all patients per treatment received. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03162796 (active, not recruiting). From Aug 28, 2017, to Aug 17, 2018, we screened 624 patients, of whom 381 were randomly assigned and treated with guselkumab every 4 weeks (n=128), guselkumab every 8 weeks (n=127), or placebo (n=126). 362 patients continued study treatment up to week 24. The primary endpoint was met: ACR20 at week 24 was achieved by significantly greater proportions of patients in the guselkumab every 4 weeks group (76 [59%] of 128 [95% CI 50-68]) and every 8 weeks group (66 [52%] of 127 [43-61]) than in the placebo group (28 [22%] of 126 [15-30]), with percentage differences versus placebo of 37% (95% CI 26-48) for the every 4 weeks group and 30% (19-41) for the every 8 weeks group (both p<0·0001). Serious adverse events up to week 24 occurred in no patients receiving guselkumab every 4 weeks, four (3%) patients receiving guselkumab every 8 weeks, and five (4%) patients receiving placebo. Up to week 24, one patient in the placebo group died from cardiac failure and two had serious infections; no guselkumab-treated patient died or had serious infections. Guselkumab demonstrated a favourable benefit-risk profile and might be an effective treatment option for patients with active psoriatic arthritis. Janssen Research and Development.

Deodhar A ，Helliwell PS ，Boehncke WH ，Kollmeier AP ，Hsia EC ，Subramanian RA ，Xu XL ，Sheng S ，Agarwal P ，Zhou B ，Zhuang Y ，Ritchlin CT ，DISCOVER-1 Study Group ... -  《-》

Efficacy and safety of guselkumab in patients with active psoriatic arthritis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study.

Guselkumab, a human monoclonal antibody that binds to the p19 subunit of interleukin 23, has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis is a common comorbidity of psoriasis with an umet need for novel treatments. We assessed the efficacy and safety of guselkumab in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2a trial at 34 rheumatology and dermatology practices in Canada, Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, and the USA. Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older with active psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis affecting at least 3% of their body surface area, with three or more of 66 tender joints and three or more of 68 swollen joints, who had an inadequate response or intolerance to standard treatments. We randomly assigned patients (2:1) via a central interactive web-response system using computer-generated permuted blocks with a block size of six, stratified by previous anti-tumour necrosis factor-α use, to receive subcutaneous guselkumab 100 mg or placebo at week 0, week 4, and every 8 weeks thereafter for 24 weeks. Patients, investigators, and site staff were masked to treatment assignment until final database lock at week 56. At week 16, patients with less than 5% improvement in swollen and tender joint counts were eligible for early escape to ustekinumab. At week 24, the remaining placebo-treated patients crossed over to receive guselkumab 100 mg at weeks 24, 28, 36, and 44 and guselkumab-treated patients received a placebo injection at week 24, followed by guselkumab injections at weeks 28, 36, and 44. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with at least 20% improvement at week 24 in signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis according to American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR20) in the modified intention-to-treat population (ie, all randomly assigned patients who received at least one dose of study treatment). Safety analyses included patients according to the study drug received. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02319759. Between March 27, 2015, and Jan 17, 2017, we randomly assigned 149 patients to treatment: 100 to guselkumab and 49 to placebo. 17 (35%) of 49 patients in the placebo group and ten (10%) of 100 patients in the guselkumab group were eligible for early escape to ustekinumab at week 16. 29 (59%) of 49 patients in the placebo group crossed over and received guselkumab at week 24. Three (6%) of 49 patients in the placebo group, one (3%) of 29 patients who crossed over from placebo to guselkumab, and six (6%) of 100 patients in the guselkumab group discontinued study treatment before week 44. 58 (58%) of 100 patients in the guselkumab group and nine (18%) of 49 patients in the placebo group achieved an ACR20 response at week 24 (percentage difference 39·7% [95% CI 25·3-54·1]; p<0·0001). Between week 0 and week 24, 36 (36%) of 100 guselkumab-treated patients and 16 (33%) of 49 placebo-treated patients had at least one adverse event. The most frequent adverse event was infection in both groups (16 [16%] of 100 patients in the guselkumab group vs ten [20%] of 49 patients in the placebo group). The prevalence of adverse events between week 0 and week 56 in guselkumab-treated patients (51 [40%] of 129) indicated no disproportional increase with longer guselkumab exposure. No deaths occurred. Guselkumab, a novel anti-interleukin 23p19 antibody, significantly improved signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis and was well tolerated during 44 weeks of treatment. The results of this study support further development of guselkumab as a novel and comprehensive treatment in psoriatic arthritis. Janssen Research & Development.

Deodhar A ，Gottlieb AB ，Boehncke WH ，Dong B ，Wang Y ，Zhuang Y ，Barchuk W ，Xu XL ，Hsia EC ，CNTO1959PSA2001 Study Group ... -  《-》

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab, a Monoclonal Antibody Specific to the p19 Subunit of Interleukin-23, Through Two Years: Results From a Phase III, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Conducted in Biologic-Naive Patients With Act

To assess long-term efficacy and safety of guselkumab, an interleukin-23 p19 subunit (IL-23p19) inhibitor, in patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) from the phase III DISCOVER-2 trial. In the DISCOVER-2 trial, patients with active PsA (≥5 swollen joints and ≥5 tender joints; C-reactive protein level ≥0.6 mg/dl) despite prior nonbiologic therapy were randomized to receive the following: guselkumab 100 mg every 4 weeks; guselkumab 100 mg at weeks 0 and 4 and then every 8 weeks; or placebo with crossover to guselkumab 100 mg every 4 weeks, beginning at week 24. Efficacy assessments included American College of Rheumatology ≥20%/50%/70% improvement criteria (ACR20/50/70), Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) of psoriasis score of 0 (indicating complete skin clearance), resolution of enthesitis (Leeds Enthesitis Index) and dactylitis (Dactylitis Severity Score), and changes in the Sharp/van der Heijde modified radiographic scores for PsA. Clinical data (imputed as no response/no change from baseline if missing) and observed radiographic data were summarized through week 100; safety assessments continued through week 112. Of the 739 randomized and treated patients, 652 (88%) completed treatment through week 100. Across groups of guselkumab-treated patients (including those in the placebo-guselkumab crossover group), the following findings at week 100 indicated that amelioration of arthritis signs/symptoms and extraarticular manifestations was durable through 2 years: ACR20 response (68-76%), ACR50 response (48-56%), ACR70 response (30-36%), IGA score of 0 (55-67%), enthesitis resolution (62-70%), and dactylitis resolution (72-83%). Mean changes in the Sharp/van der Heijde modified score for PsA from weeks 52 to week 100 (range 0.13-0.75) indicated that the low rates of radiographic progression observed among guselkumab-treated patients at earlier time points extended through week 100. Through week 112, 8% (5.8 per 100 patient-years) and 3% (1.9 per 100 patient-years) of the 731 guselkumab-treated patients had a serious adverse event or serious infection, respectively; 1 death occurred (road traffic accident). In biologic-naive PsA patients, guselkumab provided durable improvements in multiple disease domains with no unexpected safety findings through 2 years.

McInnes IB ，Rahman P ，Gottlieb AB ，Hsia EC ，Kollmeier AP ，Xu XL ，Jiang Y ，Sheng S ，Shawi M ，Chakravarty SD ，van der Heijde D ，Mease PJ ... -  《-》

Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab, an Interleukin-23p19-Specific Monoclonal Antibody, Through One Year in Biologic-Naive Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis.

Guselkumab, a human monoclonal antibody specific to interleukin-23p19, demonstrated efficacy and safety versus placebo through week 24 of the phase III DISCOVER-2 trial in biologic-naive patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Here we report 1-year DISCOVER-2 findings. Adults with active PsA (≥5 swollen and ≥5 tender joints; C-reactive protein level ≥0.6 mg/dl) despite standard nonbiologic treatment were randomized to receive subcutaneous injections of guselkumab 100 mg every 4 weeks, guselkumab 100 mg at week 0, week 4 and every 8 weeks thereafter, or placebo with crossover to guselkumab 100 mg every 4 weeks at week 24. We primarily evaluated clinical efficacy through week 52 by imputing missing data (nonresponse for categorical end points; no change/using multiple imputation for continuous end points). Observed radiographic scores and adverse events (AEs) were summarized. Of 739 randomized, treated patients, 93% completed week 52. The proportions of patients in whom a ≥20% improvement from baseline in American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR20) was achieved were maintained after week 24, reaching 71% (173 of 245) and 75% (185 of 248) for patients randomized to receive treatment every 4 weeks or every 8 weeks, respectively, by week 52. The proportions of patients in whom ACR50/ACR70 and skin responses, minimal or very low disease activity, and dactylitis or enthesitis resolution were achieved at week 24 were also maintained through week 52. Further, low levels of radiographic progression, along with improvements in physical function and health-related quality of life, were sustained through week 52 with continued guselkumab treatment. Few patients experienced serious infections through week 52, with no evidence of a dosing regimen response or increase from weeks 0-24 (4 of 493 [0.8%]) to weeks 24-52 (3 of 493 [0.6%]) among guselkumab-randomized patients. No patient developed an opportunistic infection or died. In biologic-naive PsA patients, guselkumab provided sustained improvements across diverse manifestations and maintained a favorable risk-benefit profile through week 52.

McInnes IB ，Rahman P ，Gottlieb AB ，Hsia EC ，Kollmeier AP ，Chakravarty SD ，Xu XL ，Subramanian RA ，Agarwal P ，Sheng S ，Jiang Y ，Zhou B ，Zhuang Y ，van der Heijde D ，Mease PJ ... -  《-》