Treatment of psoriatic arthritis with secukinumab: a case series

Aim: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting up to 30% of psoriatic patients, worsening patients' quality of life. Secukinumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively inhibits interleukin (IL) 17 A, has been recently approved for the treatment of PsA in adults, alone or in association with methotrexate (MTX). In the secukinumab registration studies, the primary endpoint was evaluated at 24 weeks; whether there is an early response in patients with psoriatic arthritis is not well characterized. Furthermore, the registration studies included a hierarchical analysis of end-points that led to a missing evaluation of many secondary endpoints. Methods: We report our real-life experience with secukinumab in 13 patients with PsA who did not respond to previous therapies. Our patients underwent clinical evaluation for the assessment of PsA severity and inflammation markers at 4 and 16 weeks. Results: Clinical scores and laboratory tests improved at week 4 and 16 with rapid remission of psoriatic lesions and improvements of arthritis. Conclusion: The speed of action of secukinumab and the improvement in the quality of life, underlined by our findings, can be useful in daily clinical practice.