Almirall has presented positive results for Ilumetri (tildrakizumab) in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis at the International Federation of Psoriasis Association Conference 2024 in Sweden.

The POSITIVE clinical study has been evaluating the impact and skin clearance of Ilumetri in 782 adults with moderate-to-severe psoriasis and is the first dermatological study to use the five-item World Health Organization Wellbeing Index, a questionnaire widely used to assess health-related subjective psychological well-being in a variety of chronic diseases.

Affecting around 60 million people globally, psoriasis is characterised by flaky patches of skin, of which nearly 77% of patients reported that it negatively affects their normal daily activities and well-being.

Ilumetri is a humanised monoclonal antibody that works to inhibit the release of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines without affecting the rest of the immune system.

Interim results showed that Ilumetri demonstrated notable improvements in skin clearance, particularly in sensitive areas such as the scalp, nail and palms/soles, as well as in high burden symptoms, including itch, pain, joint pain and fatigue, with almost six out of ten patients achieving a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index response of one or below at 52 weeks, with no new safety signals observed, which are consistent with previous studies.

Furthermore, as early as 16 weeks, Ilumetri effectively restored the level of well-being of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis to that of the general population, highlighting the importance of understanding the psychosocial burden of psoriasis beyond the physical symptoms.

Commenting on the results, Dr Volker Koscielny, chief medical officer, Almirall, said: “These findings represent a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to address the needs of patients and dermatologists to treat chronic dermatological conditions and help improve the patients’ health and well-being.”

Earlier this year, the company presented preliminary results from the POSITIVE study at the 2024 World Congress of Dermatology in Singapore.