UCB's bimekizumab shows early promise in psoriatic arthritis

Belgian drugmaker UCB (Euronext Brussels: UCB) has shown fast and sustained efficacy with its psoriatic arthritis (PsA) candidate bimekizumab.

The Phase Ib study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of multiple doses of bimekizumab in patients with PsA who had inadequate responses to at least one disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), and/or one biologic.

Despite the limited patient set and exposure, the results have provided some excitement at the potential of bimekizumab, which is a highly selective monoclonal antibody that inhibits the activity of both IL-17A and IL-17F, key pro-inflammatory cytokines expressed in several inflammatory diseases.