Immunogenicity of BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with psoriatic arthritis on TNF inhibitors

Background Scanty data on the immunogenicity of the BNT162b2 vaccine in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on Tumor Necrosis Factor inhibitors (TNFi) have been published. Objective To investigate the humoral response to BNT162b2 vaccination patients with PsA on TNFi, comparing immunogenicity with healthy controls. Methods Forty patients with classified PsA on TNFi undergoing vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BioNTech/Pfizer) were enrolled. Fifteen days after the second shot, serum IgG levels against SARS-CoV-2 (Abbott ARCHITECT i2000SR, positivity cut-off 50 AU/mL) were assayed in all patients. Clinimetrics and treatment data were gathered. TNFi treatment was not discontinued throughout the whole period, whereas methotrexate (MTX) was discontinued for 1 week after each shot in those on combination therapy. Sera from healthcare professionals were considered as healthy controls for 1:1 propensity score matching; any of them was taking medication. Student's t-test and logistic regression were used for investigating differences in immunogenicity between groups and predictors of antibody response. Results Clinical Disease Activity Index did not change before and after vaccination (7.06 +/- 5.23 to 7.10 +/- 5.27, p=0.92). Patients with PsA achieved a positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG level with a mean (+/- SD) of 13794.44 +/- 15 815.42 AU/mL. Although lower, the antibody level was not significantly different from matched controls (19227.4 +/- 11.8460.45 AU/mL, p=0.08). In the overall sample, those on MTX (12/80, 15%) had a trend toward lower immune response (p=0.07); glucocorticoid therapy (11/80, 13.8%) predicted lower antibody levels (p=0.04). Conclusions Continuing TNFi in patients with PsA throughout the vaccination did not hamper immunogenicity.

Automated summary

This study investigated the humoral response to BNT162b2 vaccination in patients with PsA on TNFi treatment and compared it with healthy controls. The study found that continuing TNFi treatment did not hinder the immunogenicity of the vaccine.