Baseline lab data is class specific for biologics to treat psoriasis patients

Don’t underestimate the importance of baseline lab tests before starting psoriasis patients on biologics, said April Armstrong, MD, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Keep class-specific considerations in mind when collecting baseline lab data to help support the success of biologics in treating psoriasis, Dr. Armstrong said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

The arsenal of current Food and Drug Administration–approved biologics for psoriasis includes tumor necrosis factor–antagonists etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab; p40 interleukin–12/23 antagonist ustekinumab; IL-17 antagonists secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab; and the p19 IL-23 antagonist guselkumab.

When clinicians consider biologics, they must balance efficacy, safety, convenience, and costs of treatment, Dr. Armstrong said.

She addressed general considerations when selecting biologics for psoriasis and stressed the importance of assessing patients for tuberculosis and reviewing underlying cancer risk. Confirm that a patient has no active infections and consider whether a patient has completed all age-appropriate immunizations. Consider a complete blood count and metabolic panel for the following biologics:

• Ustekinumab: Baseline HIV or pregnancy test, and a TB evaluation at baseline as well as annual monitoring.
• Etanercept, adalimumab, infliximab: Baseline TB evaluation and screening hepatitis panel, liver function tests, and blood count, with option to add pregnancy test or HIV test. A liver function test/hepatitis panel is indicated annually, and TB should be monitored annually. Be cautious about using this class of drugs in patients with heart failure, and verify the absence of demyelinating disease in patients prior to prescribing this class of drugs.
• Guselkumab: Baseline TB evaluation, possible pregnancy or HIV tests, followed by annual TB evaluation.
• Secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab: Baseline TB evaluation, consider HIV or pregnancy tests, followed by annual TB evaluation. Be cautious about using this class of drugs in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease; assess and counsel for increased risk of suicidality when considering brodalumab.

Beyond the general considerations, several other factors can help maximize success with particular biologics, Dr. Armstrong said at the meeting, which is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education.

The number of injections given in the first year, which range from 5 (ustekinumab) to 64 (etanercept) is an important consideration for some patients, Dr. Armstrong noted; the number of injections for the remaining biologics are guselkumab, 8; ixekizumab, 17; brodalumab and adalimumab, both 27, and secukinumab, 32. In addition, the IL-17 inhibitors carry some risk of oral candidiasis and inflammatory bowel disease.

This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by Frontline Medical News.

Dr. Armstrong disclosed relationships with multiple companies including AbbVie, Janssen, Novartis, Lilly, Regeneron, Sanofi, Modernizing Medicine, and Valeant.

[email protected]

Don’t underestimate the importance of baseline lab tests before starting psoriasis patients on biologics, said April Armstrong, MD, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Keep class-specific considerations in mind when collecting baseline lab data to help support the success of biologics in treating psoriasis, Dr. Armstrong said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

The arsenal of current Food and Drug Administration–approved biologics for psoriasis includes tumor necrosis factor–antagonists etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab; p40 interleukin–12/23 antagonist ustekinumab; IL-17 antagonists secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab; and the p19 IL-23 antagonist guselkumab.

When clinicians consider biologics, they must balance efficacy, safety, convenience, and costs of treatment, Dr. Armstrong said.

She addressed general considerations when selecting biologics for psoriasis and stressed the importance of assessing patients for tuberculosis and reviewing underlying cancer risk. Confirm that a patient has no active infections and consider whether a patient has completed all age-appropriate immunizations. Consider a complete blood count and metabolic panel for the following biologics:

• Ustekinumab: Baseline HIV or pregnancy test, and a TB evaluation at baseline as well as annual monitoring.
• Etanercept, adalimumab, infliximab: Baseline TB evaluation and screening hepatitis panel, liver function tests, and blood count, with option to add pregnancy test or HIV test. A liver function test/hepatitis panel is indicated annually, and TB should be monitored annually. Be cautious about using this class of drugs in patients with heart failure, and verify the absence of demyelinating disease in patients prior to prescribing this class of drugs.
• Guselkumab: Baseline TB evaluation, possible pregnancy or HIV tests, followed by annual TB evaluation.
• Secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab: Baseline TB evaluation, consider HIV or pregnancy tests, followed by annual TB evaluation. Be cautious about using this class of drugs in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease; assess and counsel for increased risk of suicidality when considering brodalumab.

Beyond the general considerations, several other factors can help maximize success with particular biologics, Dr. Armstrong said at the meeting, which is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education.

The number of injections given in the first year, which range from 5 (ustekinumab) to 64 (etanercept) is an important consideration for some patients, Dr. Armstrong noted; the number of injections for the remaining biologics are guselkumab, 8; ixekizumab, 17; brodalumab and adalimumab, both 27, and secukinumab, 32. In addition, the IL-17 inhibitors carry some risk of oral candidiasis and inflammatory bowel disease.

This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by Frontline Medical News.

Dr. Armstrong disclosed relationships with multiple companies including AbbVie, Janssen, Novartis, Lilly, Regeneron, Sanofi, Modernizing Medicine, and Valeant.

[email protected]

Don’t underestimate the importance of baseline lab tests before starting psoriasis patients on biologics, said April Armstrong, MD, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Keep class-specific considerations in mind when collecting baseline lab data to help support the success of biologics in treating psoriasis, Dr. Armstrong said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

The arsenal of current Food and Drug Administration–approved biologics for psoriasis includes tumor necrosis factor–antagonists etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab; p40 interleukin–12/23 antagonist ustekinumab; IL-17 antagonists secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab; and the p19 IL-23 antagonist guselkumab.

When clinicians consider biologics, they must balance efficacy, safety, convenience, and costs of treatment, Dr. Armstrong said.

She addressed general considerations when selecting biologics for psoriasis and stressed the importance of assessing patients for tuberculosis and reviewing underlying cancer risk. Confirm that a patient has no active infections and consider whether a patient has completed all age-appropriate immunizations. Consider a complete blood count and metabolic panel for the following biologics:

• Ustekinumab: Baseline HIV or pregnancy test, and a TB evaluation at baseline as well as annual monitoring.
• Etanercept, adalimumab, infliximab: Baseline TB evaluation and screening hepatitis panel, liver function tests, and blood count, with option to add pregnancy test or HIV test. A liver function test/hepatitis panel is indicated annually, and TB should be monitored annually. Be cautious about using this class of drugs in patients with heart failure, and verify the absence of demyelinating disease in patients prior to prescribing this class of drugs.
• Guselkumab: Baseline TB evaluation, possible pregnancy or HIV tests, followed by annual TB evaluation.
• Secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab: Baseline TB evaluation, consider HIV or pregnancy tests, followed by annual TB evaluation. Be cautious about using this class of drugs in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease; assess and counsel for increased risk of suicidality when considering brodalumab.

Beyond the general considerations, several other factors can help maximize success with particular biologics, Dr. Armstrong said at the meeting, which is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education.

The number of injections given in the first year, which range from 5 (ustekinumab) to 64 (etanercept) is an important consideration for some patients, Dr. Armstrong noted; the number of injections for the remaining biologics are guselkumab, 8; ixekizumab, 17; brodalumab and adalimumab, both 27, and secukinumab, 32. In addition, the IL-17 inhibitors carry some risk of oral candidiasis and inflammatory bowel disease.

This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are owned by Frontline Medical News.

Dr. Armstrong disclosed relationships with multiple companies including AbbVie, Janssen, Novartis, Lilly, Regeneron, Sanofi, Modernizing Medicine, and Valeant.

[email protected]