TREMFYA Solution for injection Ref.[8930] Active ingredients: Guselkumab

Pharmacotherapeutic group: Immunosuppressants, interleukin inhibitors
ATC code: L04AC16

Mechanism of action

Guselkumab is a human IgG1λ monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds selectively to the interleukin 23 (IL-23) protein with high specificity and affinity. IL-23, a regulatory cytokine, affects the differentiation, expansion, and survival of T cell subsets, (e.g., Th17 cells and Tc17 cells) and innate immune cell subsets, which represent sources of effector cytokines, including IL-17A, IL-17F and IL-22 that drive inflammatory disease. In humans, selective blockade of IL-23 was shown to normalize production of these cytokines.

Levels of IL-23 are elevated in the skin of patients with plaque psoriasis. In in vitro models, guselkumab was shown to inhibit the bioactivity of IL-23 by blocking its interaction with cell surface IL-23 receptor, disrupting IL-23-mediated signaling, activation and cytokine cascades. Guselkumab exerts clinical effects in plaque psoriasis through blockade of the IL-23 cytokine pathway.

Pharmacodynamic effects

In a phase I study, treatment with guselkumab resulted in reduced expression of IL-23/Th17 pathway genes and psoriasis-associated gene expression profiles, as shown by analyses of mRNA obtained from lesional skin biopsies of patients with plaque psoriasis at Week 12 compared to baseline. In the same phase I study, treatment with guselkumab resulted in improvement of histological measures of psoriasis at Week 12, including reductions in epidermal thickness and T-cell density. In addition, reduced serum IL-17A, IL-17F and IL-22 levels compared to placebo were observed in guselkumab treated patients in phase II and phase III studies. These results are consistent with the clinical benefit observed with guselkumab treatment in plaque psoriasis.

Clinical efficacy and safety

The efficacy and safety of guselkumab was assessed in three randomised, double-blind, active controlled phase III studies in adult patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, who were candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy.

VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2

Two studies (VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2) evaluated the efficacy and safety of guselkumab versus placebo and adalimumab in 1829 adult patients. Patients randomised to guselkumab (N=825) received 100 mg at Weeks 0 and 4, and every 8 weeks (q8w) thereafter through Week 48 (VOYAGE 1) and Week 20 (VOYAGE 2). Patients randomised to adalimumab (N=582) received 80 mg at Week 0 and 40 mg at Week 1, followed by 40 mg every other week (q2w) through Week 48 (VOYAGE 1) and Week 23 (VOYAGE 2). In both studies, patients randomised to placebo (N=422) received guselkumab 100 mg at Weeks 16, 20 and q8w thereafter. In VOYAGE 1, all patients, including those randomised to adalimumab at Week 0, started to receive open-label guselkumab q8w at Week 52. In VOYAGE 2, patients randomised to guselkumab at Week 0 who were Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90 responders at Week 28 were re-randomised to either continue treatment with guselkumab q8w (maintenance treatment) or receive placebo (withdrawal treatment). Withdrawal patients re-initiated guselkumab (dosed at time of retreatment, 4 weeks later and q8w thereafter) when they experienced at least a 50% loss of their Week 28 PASI improvement. Patients randomised to adalimumab at Week 0 who were PASI 90 non-responders received guselkumab at Weeks 28, 32 and q8w thereafter. In VOYAGE 2, all patients started to receive open-label guselkumab q8w at Week 76.

Baseline disease characteristics were consistent for the study populations in VOYAGE 1 and 2 with a median body surface area (BSA) of 22% and 24%, a median baseline PASI score of 19 for both studies, a median baseline dermatology quality of life index (DLQI) score of 14 and 14.5, a baseline investigator global assessment (IGA) score of severe for 25% and 23% of patients, and a history of psoriatic arthritis for 19% and 18% of patients, respectively.

Of all patients included in VOYAGE 1 and 2, 32% and 29% were naïve to both conventional systemic and biologic therapy, 54% and 57% had received prior phototherapy, and 62% and 64% had received prior conventional systemic therapy, respectively. In both studies, 21% had received prior biologic therapy, including 11% who had received at least one anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) agent, and approximately 10% who had received an anti-IL-12/IL-23 agent.

The efficacy of guselkumab was evaluated with respect to overall skin disease, regional disease (scalp, hand and foot and nails) and quality of life and patient reported outcomes. The co-primary endpoints in VOYAGE 1 and 2 were the proportion of patients who achieved an IGA score of cleared or minimal (IGA 0/1) and a PASI 90 response at Week 16 versus placebo (see Table 2).

Overall skin disease

Treatment with guselkumab resulted in significant improvements in the measures of disease activity compared to placebo and adalimumab at Week 16 and compared to adalimumab at Weeks 24 and 48. The key efficacy results for the primary and major secondary study endpoints are shown in Table 2 below.

Table 2. Summary of Clinical Responses in VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2:

Response over time

Guselkumab demonstrated rapid onset of efficacy, with a significantly higher percent improvement in PASI as compared with placebo as early as Week 2 (p <0.001). The percentage of patients achieving a PASI 90 response was numerically higher for guselkumab than adalimumab starting at Week 8 with the difference reaching a maximum around Week 20 (VOYAGE 1 and 2) and maintained through Week 48 (VOYAGE 1) (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Percent of Subjects Who Achieved a PASI 90 Response Through Week 48 by Visit (Subjects Randomised at Week 0) in VOYAGE 1:

In VOYAGE 1, for patients receiving continuous guselkumab treatment, the PASI 90 response rate was maintained from Week 52 through Week 156. For patients randomised to adalimumab at Week 0 who crossed over to guselkumab at Week 52, the PASI 90 response rate increased from Week 52 through Week 76 and was then maintained through Week 156 (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Percent of Subjects Who Achieved a PASI 90 Response by Visit in the Open-Label Phase in VOYAGE 1:

The efficacy and safety of guselkumab was demonstrated regardless of age, gender, race, body weight, plaques location, PASI baseline severity, concurrent psoriatic arthritis, and previous treatment with a biologic therapy. Guselkumab was efficacious in conventional systemic-naive, biologic-naive, and biologic-exposed patients.

In VOYAGE 2, 88.6% of patients receiving guselkumab maintenance treatment at Week 48 were PASI 90 responders compared to 36.8% of patients who were withdrawn from treatment at Week 28 (p <0.001). Loss of PASI 90 response was noted as early as 4 weeks after withdrawal of guselkumab treatment with a median time to loss of PASI 90 response of approximately 15 weeks. Among patients who were withdrawn from treatment and subsequently re-initiated guselkumab, 80% regained a PASI 90 response when assessed 20 weeks after initiation of retreatment.

In VOYAGE 2, among 112 patients randomised to adalimumab who failed to achieve a PASI 90 response at Week 28, 66% and 76% achieved a PASI 90 response after 20 and 44 weeks of treatment with guselkumab, respectively. In addition, among 95 patients randomised to guselkumab who failed to achieve a PASI 90 response at Week 28, 36% and 41% achieved a PASI 90 response with an additional 20 and 44 weeks of continued treatment with guselkumab, respectively. No new safety findings were observed in patients who switched from adalimumab to guselkumab.

Regional disease

In VOYAGE 1 and 2, significant improvements were seen in scalp, hand and foot, and nail psoriasis (as measured by the Scalp-specific Investigator Global Assessment [ss-IGA], Physician’s Global Assessment of Hands and/or Feet [hf-PGA], Fingernail Physician’s Global Assessment [f-PGA] and Nail Psoriasis Severity Index [NAPSI], respectively) in guselkumab treated patients compared to placebo treated patients at Week 16 (p <0.001, Table 3). Guselkumab demonstrated superiority compared to adalimumab for scalp and hand and foot psoriasis at Week 24 (VOYAGE 1 and 2) and Week 48 (VOYAGE 1) (p ≤0.001, except for hand and foot psoriasis at Week 24 [VOYAGE 2] and Week 48 [VOYAGE 1], p <0.05).

Table 3. Summary of Regional Disease Responses in VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2:

Health-related quality of life / Patient reported outcomes

Across VOYAGE 1 and 2 significantly greater improvements in health-related quality of life as measured by Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and in patient-reported psoriasis symptoms (itching, pain, burning, stinging and skin tightness) and signs (skin dryness, cracking, scaling, shedding or flaking, redness and bleeding) as measured by the Psoriasis Symptoms and Signs Diary (PSSD) were observed in guselkumab patients compared to placebo patients at Week 16 (Table 4). Signs of improvement on patient-reported outcomes were maintained through Week 24 (VOYAGE 1 and 2) and Week 48 (VOYAGE 1). In VOYAGE 1, for patients receiving continuous guselkumab treatment, these improvements were maintained in the open-label phase through Week 156 (Table 5).

Table 4. Summary of Patient Reported Outcomes at Week 16 in VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2:

Table 5. Summary of Patient Reported Outcomes in the Open-Label Phase in VOYAGE 1:

In VOYAGE 2, guselkumab patients had significantly greater improvement from baseline compared to placebo in health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression, and work limitation measures at Week 16, as measured by the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) health survey questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ), respectively. The improvements in SF-36, HADS and WLQ were all maintained through Week 48 and in the open-label phase through Week 156 among patients randomised to maintenance therapy at Week 28.

NAVIGATE

The NAVIGATE study examined the efficacy of guselkumab in patients who had an inadequate response (ie, who had not achieved a ‘cleared’ or ‘minimal’ response defined as IGA ≥2) to ustekinumab at Week 16. All patients (N=871) received open-label ustekinumab (45 mg ≤100 kg and 90 mg >100 kg) at Weeks 0 and 4. At Week 16, 268 patients with an IGA ≥2 score were randomised to either continue ustekinumab treatment (N=133) q12w, or to initiate guselkumab treatment (N=135) at Weeks 16, 20, and q8w thereafter. Baseline characteristics for randomised patients were similar to those observed in VOYAGE 1 and 2.

After randomisation, the primary endpoint was the number of post-randomisation visits between Weeks 12 and 24 at which patients achieved an IGA score 0/1 and had ≥2 grade improvement. Patients were examined at four week intervals for a total of four visits. Among patients who inadequately responded to ustekinumab at the time of randomisation, significantly greater improvement of efficacy was observed in patients who switched to guselkumab treatment compared to patients who continued ustekinumab treatment. Between 12 and 24 weeks after randomisation, guselkumab patients achieved an IGA score 0/1 with ≥2 grade improvement twice as often as ustekinumab patients (mean 1.5 vs 0.7 visits, respectively, p <0.001). Additionally, at 12 weeks after randomisation a higher proportion of guselkumab patients compared to ustekinumab patients achieved an IGA score 0/1 and ≥2 grade improvement (31.1% vs. 14.3%, respectively; p = 0.001) and a PASI 90 response (48% vs 23%, respectively, p <0.001). Differences in response rates between guselkumab and ustekinumab treated patients were noted as early as 4 weeks after randomisation (11.1% and 9.0%, respectively) and reached a maximum 24 weeks after randomisation (see Figure 3). No new safety findings were observed in patients who switched from ustekinumab to guselkumab.

Figure 3. Percent of Subjects Who Achieved an IGA Score of Cleared (0) or Minimal (1) and at least a 2-grade improvement in IGA from Week 0 Through Week 24 by Visit After Randomisation in NAVIGATE:

ECLIPSE

Efficacy and safety of guselkumab were also investigated in a double-blind study compared to secukinumab. Patients were randomised to receive guselkumab (N=534; 100 mg at Week 0, 4 and q8w thereafter), or secukinumab (N=514; 300 mg at Week 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and q4w thereafter). The last dose was at week 44 for both treatment groups.

Baseline disease characteristics were consistent with a population of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis with a median BSA of 20%, a median PASI score of 18, and an IGA score of severe for 24% of patients.

Guselkumab was superior to secukinumab as measured by the primary endpoint of PASI 90 response at Week 48 (84.5% versus 70.0%, p <0.001). Comparative PASI response rates are presented in Table 6.

Table 6. PASI Response Rates in ECLIPSE:

Guselkumab and secukinumab PASI 90 response rates through Week 48 are presented in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Percent of Subjects Who Achieved a PASI 90 Response Through Week 48 by Visit (Subjects Randomised at Week 0) in ECLIPSE:

Paediatric population

The European Medicines Agency has deferred the obligation to submit the results of studies with Tremfya in plaque psoriasis in one or more subsets of the paediatric population (see section 4.2 for information on paediatric use).