OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of ustekinumab in the therapy of plaque psoriasis.

METHODSLiteratures published up to November 2013 were collected from Cochrane library, MEDLINE, and PubMed which were related with ustekinumab for plaque psoriasis. The efficacy was estimated using relative risk of Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75 response rate at the week 12 endpoint in clinical trials, and adverse effects were also analyzed. Meta-analysis was carried out by using Review Manager 5.1.

RESULTSSix randomized control trials consistent with the inclusion criteria were selected and reviewed. Ustekinumab 45 mg group and 90 mg group could get better therapeutic effect compared with the placebo group (all P<0.00001). Furthermore, ustekinumab 90 mg group was more effective than ustekinumab 45 mg group (P=0.01). Adverse effects in the 6 trials were mentioned including headache, upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngtis, infection, serious infection, cardiovascular events, and malignant tumors. There were no statistically significant differences of these adverse effects among three groups (all P>0.05), except that infection rate in ustekinumab 45 mg group was higher than the placebo group (P=0.02).

CONCLUSIONSUstekinumab is an effective and safe therapeutic method for plaque psoriasis. However, further longer time analysis of safety is needed.

Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Psoriasis ; drug therapy ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Ustekinumab

INTRODUCTION: Ustekinumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to the p40 subunit of both interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23, and it is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. In this study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of patients receiving ustekinumab for psoriasis. METHODS: This retrospective study included all adults with chronic plaque psoriasis who were prescribed ustekinumab in a tertiary dermatologic centre between December 2009 and December 2015. Efficacy end points included a proportion of patients achieving at least 50% and 75% improvement from baseline psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and body surface area (BSA) at Weeks 4 and 16. RESULTS: A total of 99 patients were prescribed ustekinumab; 69% of these were Chinese, followed by 15% Indians and 9% Malays. 31 patients had documented PASI scores and 55 patients had documented BSA improvements. In patients with recorded PASI scores, 29 (93.5%) of 31 patients achieved PASI 50, and 21 (67.7%) of 31 achieved PASI 75 at week 16. In patients with recorded BSA, 43 (78.2%) of 55 had at least 50% BSA improvement, and 31 (56.4%) of 55 achieved 75% BSA improvement at 16 weeks. Regarding safety, no patient experienced tuberculosis reactivation. A total of 11 (11%) of 99 patients had latent tuberculosis infection and were treated with prophylactic isoniazid. No patient experienced serious adverse events. No cardiovascular events, cutaneous malignancies or deaths were reported over six years. CONCLUSION Ustekinumab is safe and efficacious in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in a multiethnic Asian population.
Adult ; Humans ; Ustekinumab/therapeutic use* ; Singapore ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Severity of Illness Index ; Double-Blind Method ; Psoriasis/drug therapy*