Bimekizumab: the new drug in the biologics armamentarium for psoriasis

Abstract

Bimekizumab, a humanized monoclonal IgG1 antibody being currently evaluated for multiple immune-mediated diseases, is mentioned in the recent report by Clarivate, Drugs to Watch in 2021, as one of the drugs to be observed in 2021. Due to its novel mechanism of action (dual inhibition of IL-17A and IL-17F), bimekizumab is considered a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Bimekizumab has demonstrated superiority in all direct comparative clinical trials conducted, whether against ustekinumab (IL-12/23 inhibitor), adalimumab (TNF inhibitor) or secukinumab (IL-17A inhibitor), and has shown very encouraging results for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. Since September 2020, the drug is being reviewed by the EMA and FDA for the treatment of psoriasis. Herein, the current status of bimekizumab is discussed.

Keywords

• bimekizumab
• il-17
• psoriasis
• psoriatic arthritis