Key clinical point: A significant quantitative association exists between baseline serum beta-defensin-2 (BD-2) levels and the clinical response to secukinumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
Major finding : Baseline serum BD-2 levels were significantly associated with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response to secukinumab (Spearman’s rho, 27%; P = 3.8e-5) but not to placebo at week 16, with the trend being consistent for ≥1 year. The addition of BD-2 to the clinical model improved the prediction of the 16-week ACR 20% improvement response to secukinumab by increasing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve by 11 percentage points.
Study details: This retrospective analysis of the phase 3 FUTURE 1-5 trials included 1,989 patients with PsA who received secukinumab or placebo.
Disclosures: This study did not receive any funding. Seven authors declared being employees of or holding shares or stock options in Novartis AG, and M Cardner declared being an employee of AstraZeneca AB. Two authors reported ties unrelated to this study.
Source: Cardner M et al. Analysis of serum proteomics data identifies a quantitative association between beta-defensin 2 at baseline and clinical response to IL-17 blockade in psoriatic arthritis. RMD Open. 2023;9(2):e003042 (Jun 15). Doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003042.