Newly released three-year data from UCB’s Be Heard trials of Bimzelx (bimekizumab) have shown long-term efficacy in treating hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

Bimzelx is the first and only drug approved to selectively inhibit both interleukin 17A (IL-17A) and interleukin 17F (IL 17F), cytokines that drive inflammatory processes. It demonstrated sustained improvements across three years in both skin pain and resolution of draining tunnels.

Among patients who had at least one draining tunnel at the beginning of the study, 48.2% had none at one year and 62.9% had none at three years. Similarly, among patients who had at least one abscess at baseline, 75.3% had none at one year and 83.5% had none at three years.

HS is a chronic inflammatory disease characterised by nodules, abscesses and pus-discharging draining tunnels. It typically presents in early adulthood, affecting around 1% of the population in most studied countries. Symptoms of HS can be debilitating, causing serious pain that significantly impacts quality of life.

Bimzelx is approved in the EU for the treatment of diseases including plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis and HS. The released Be Heard data shows its potential long-term success in managing and reducing the symptoms of HS.

Professor Steven Daveluy, programme director at Wayne State University, Detroit, said: “This new data, showing high rates of resolution of these painful lesions to three years, demonstrates the sustained inflammation control provided by bimekizumab and suggests the possibility of reducing the structural damage frequently seen with HS, which can be so devastating for patients.”